Trump: US Had ‘Good and Productive’ Talks with Putin on Ukraine War

U.S. President Donald Trump has described recent discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin over the Ukraine war as “good and productive,” sparking global reactions.

President Donald Trump stated that the United States had “good and productive” discussions with Putin, during which he requested the Russian president to spare the lives of thousands of Ukrainian troops who are currently “surrounded.”

Russia expresses “cautious optimism” regarding a ceasefire agreement with Ukraine, yet acknowledges that “much work remains to be done.”

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov emphasized that Vladimir Putin is still awaiting responses after the Russian president posed various questions regarding the implementation of a US-brokered truce.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described Putin’s response as “manipulative.”

In other developments, Russia reports that it is still in the process of reclaiming areas within its Kursk region following last year’s invasion by Ukraine.

Late on Thursday and overnight, both Russia and Ukraine reported fresh enemy drone attacks. In these incidents, several people were injured in Kharkiv, while an oil facility in southern Russia was struck.

According to Russia’s defense ministry, its forces have “liberated” 28 settlements in the Kursk region of Russia, including Sudzha, due to their “decisive actions.”

The ministry has announced that it liberated a settlement in Ukraine’s Sumy region. According to the ministry’s Zvezda TV channel, this development pertains to activities occurring over the past week.

Trump praises the ‘productive talks’ between Russia and the US.

In a post on his social media platform Truth Social, Donald Trump praised the “good and productive discussions” that took place between Russia and the US yesterday.

He cautions that thousands of Ukrainian troops are “completely surrounded” by the Russian military, describing their situation as “very bad and vulnerable.”

He also mentioned that he had requested Putin “to spare their lives,” noting, “Such an event would result in a horrific massacre unseen since World War II.”

Canada’s foreign minister announced that all the G7 nations’ foreign ministers, including those from the US, UK, and other European powers, have expressed their support for the US proposal calling for a ceasefire in Ukraine.

Melanie Joly, the host of the G7 meeting in Quebec, stated: “After extensive discussions, we successfully achieved strong unity among the G7 nations on a range of issues.”

All foreign ministers of the G7 concur with the US proposal for a ceasefire, which has Ukrainian support.

“We are currently examining and assessing Russia’s reactions. Ultimately, the responsibility now lies with Russia regarding Ukraine.”

A draft final statement from the two-day G7 meeting urges Russia to accept the ceasefire agreement put forward by the United States.

Senior diplomats from the member countries—Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK, and the US—have endorsed the statement. However, it still requires approval from foreign ministers as reported by G7 officials to Reuters news agency.

The statement indicates that G7 members urged Russia to respond by agreeing to a mutually equitable ceasefire and ensuring its complete implementation.

They also stressed the importance of strong “security arrangements” to achieve lasting peace, cautioning Moscow that it will encounter additional sanctions otherwise.