Trump 'didn't make any progress' on Ukraine during Putin call
U.S. President Donald Trump said he had made no progress with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin towards a ceasefire in Ukraine after the two leaders spoke by phone on Thursday.
"No, I didn't make any progress with him at all," Trump told reporters when asked if he had moved closer towards a deal to end Russia's invasion, adding that he was "not happy" about the ongoing war.
Putin told Trump that Moscow will not "give up" on its aims in Ukraine, while pledging it will also keep up a negotiating process on the conflict, the Kremlin said Thursday after the call.
"Our president said that Russia will achieve the aims it set, that is to say the root causes that led to the current state of affairs," Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters. "Russia will not give up on these aims."
"He also spoke of the readiness of the Russian side to continue the negotiation process," Ushakov added, saying the call lasted almost an hour.
- Zelensky-Trump call planned for Friday afternoon -
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Trump are planning to speak by telephone on Friday afternoon Kyiv time, a senior Ukrainian official told AFP.
"It's being prepared for this afternoon, but everything will be clear at the last moment," the source said. The call would follow a conversation between Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin a day earlier.
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