Donald Trump To Talk To Vladimir Putin On Thursday As He Seeks Ukraine Truce

US President Donald Trump said he would speak to Russian leader Vladimir Putin on Thursday, the latest call in his effort to broker an end to the war in Ukraine.

“Will be speaking to President Putin of Russia at 10:00 A.M. Thank you!” Trump announced on social media. 

Trump is also likely to hold a call with Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Friday, according to a person familiar with the matter.

The calls follow a decision by the Trump administration earlier this week to pause the transfer of artillery rounds and air defenses to Ukraine, a move that caught Kyiv and allies off-guard. The US decision came just days after Russia pummeled Ukraine with a record air strike in a war now well into its fourth year.

The White House has said the halt to weapons deliveries came after a review of US munitions stockpiles and concerns that those levels had fallen too low. Among the weapons that are being paused are 155mm artillery shells and Patriot air-defense batteries. Those weapons are crucial for Ukraine as it seeks to repel deadly Russian drone and missile strikes.

Trump entered office pledging to quickly end the war in Ukraine but those efforts have failed to gain traction, with Putin refusing calls for a halt to the fighting and rejecting requests to meet face-to-face with Zelenskiy. Lower-level discussions between Russia and Ukraine have seen prisoner exchanges but have not secured a larger breakthrough to bring the war to a close.

Trump has grown increasingly frustrated, suggesting at times that he is willing to walk away from his efforts if he does not believe the two countries are serious about seeking peace. That prospect has alarmed Kyiv’s allies, who fear that Trump may abandon Ukraine. Trump has also been unwilling to pledge US support for any potential security force to help maintain a future ceasefire.

The US president has already indicated that he won’t renew US military support for Ukraine, which is due to run out this summer.

In their most recent call last month, Trump and Putin also discussed the conflict between Israel and Iran. Russia is an ally of the Islamic Republic, and Putin has offered to act as a mediator in the Middle East, where tension over Iran’s nuclear program remains high even after Trump brokered a truce with Israel.