President Donald Trump announced he will not increase sanctions on Russia following a two-hour phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on 19 May .
The phone call between Trump and Putin followed the failed attempt at a Zelenskyy-Putin meeting in Istanbul, Türkiye, last week. Instead, Russian and Ukrainian delegations met, but after nearly two hours of discussions, the negotiations ended with only limited results: both sides agreed to a large-scale prisoner exchange involving 1,000 prisoners each. Fundamental issues remain unresolved, as Russia demanded Ukraine withdraw from occupied oblasts—a demand Ukraine rejected. This meeting marked the first direct diplomatic talks between the two countries in over three years.
“Because I think there’s a chance of getting something done, and if you do that, you could also make it much worse. But there could be a time where that’s going to happen,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on 19 May, according to CNN.
The conversation between the two leaders centered on the ongoing war in Ukraine. Trump said he directly asked Putin about ending the war.
“I said, ‘When are we going to end this bloodshed, this blood bath?’ It’s a blood bath, and I do believe he wants to end it,” Trump claimed.
The US president suggested he is willing to step back from negotiations if progress stalls. “I tell you, big egos involved, but I think something’s going to happen. And if it doesn’t, I just back away and they’re going to have to keep going,” he said.
When asked by CNN’s Kaitlan Collins if he had discussed meeting with Putin during their call, Trump confirmed, “Of course I did. I talked to him about it.” This follows previous statements from Trump indicating that direct meetings with Putin might be necessary to end the war.
After the call, Trump characterized the discussion as showing “progress” and described the situation in Ukraine as “terrible.”
The call comes after US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on 18 May that the United States, together with Europe, would “without hesitation” strengthen sanctions against Russia if Putin did not conduct peace negotiations with Ukraine “in good faith.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy commented after the Trump-Putin conversation that he remains focused on sanctions against Russia, including a package from the EU.
“Europe’s package will come and it will be strong. There are appropriate dates. No one wants to push anyone. There are dates, there are agreements. I am confident in this. Moreover, there will be a next package,” Zelensky said.
European Union ambassadors approved the 17th sanctions package against Russia on 17 May, targeting Russia’s shadow fleet, companies evading sanctions, and imposing additional individual sanctions against persons and companies connected to Russia’s defense industry.
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