In a landmark diplomatic development, US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke for over two hours in a phone call on May 19, focusing on the war in Ukraine and prospects for a ceasefire. The call, initiated by Trump, was hailed by both Washington and Moscow as a potentially pivotal step toward de-escalating a conflict that has ravaged Eastern Europe for more than three years.

The conversation, announced by Trump two days earlier, was described by Kremlin officials as “important” and rooted in the recent Turkish-mediated peace discussions between Moscow and Kyiv. According to Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, the dialogue was aimed at revitalizing direct channels between Russia and Ukraine and crafting a framework for a draft memorandum that could eventually lead to a ceasefire agreement.

President Trump had set the stage for the conversation by expressing his desire to “stop the bloodbath” in Ukraine and seek a diplomatic solution to a war he says was unnecessarily prolonged by US involvement under the Biden administration.

“This is not our war. This is not my war,” Trump stated during a press briefing on the White House lawn following the call. “We got ourselves entangled in something that we shouldn’t have been involved in. This should have been handled by Europe – not funded by US taxpayers to the tune of hundreds of billions.”

Trump reiterated his long-standing critique of the Biden administration’s Ukraine policy, blaming it for escalating tensions and prolonging the conflict. “We gave massive amounts, I think record-setting amounts… both weaponry and money,” he added. In contrast, Trump argued, Europe had failed to shoulder its fair share of the burden for a war unfolding on its doorstep.

In Moscow, the Kremlin........

© Blitz