Trump has said he wants to use more of a carrot than stick when it comes to convincing Moscow to agree to a ceasefire, but, aside from direct Ukraine-Russia talks and further prisoner of war exchanges, there has been little to no progress on bringing a pause in fighting closer, despite the US president's growing impatience.

In September 2022, Moscow claimed to have annexed the four Ukrainian regions and to this day it does not fully control them. Putin illegally annexed Crimea in 2014. Kyiv has repeatedly rejected any suggestion it would surrender the regions.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky singled out the United States for its “silence” after a Russian barrage of missiles and drones hit Kyiv early Sunday. Ukraine’s capital city was targeted with 69 ballistic and cruise missiles and 298 drones on Sunday,

After the talks held in Istanbul, Turkiye, Trump also had a phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, a call that lasted at least two hours. He then moved to brief Ukraine’s Zelensky in a joint call with European Union leaders, who have proved to be stronger allies of Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Turkey early Thursday for scheduled peace talks, but Russian President Vladimir Putin did not show up. Zelensky hammered the Russian delegation

It is Putin who decides everything in Russia, and he is the one who must resolve the issue of war. This is his war. That is why the negotiations must be with him. — Ukrinform.

President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine said that if President Trump attended the talks, it would put pressure on Russia’s leader, Vladimir V. Putin, to meet face-to-face.

For years, President Donald Trump has bragged that he, and only he, could bring an end to the Russia-Ukraine war. “I’ll have that done in 24 hours,” he said repeatedly during his most recent presidential campaign.