President Donald Trump revealed he is speaking with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday morning.
Their call occurs just days after the Trump administration decided to halt some military aid to Ukraine, citing low U.S. stockpiles of the equipment it has given to Ukraine previously.
“The Department of Defense continues to provide the president with robust options regarding military aid to Ukraine consistent with his goal of bringing this tragic war to an end,” Defense Department spokesman Sean Parnell said on Wednesday. “And at the same time, the department is rigorously examining and adapting its approach toward achieving this objective while also preserving U.S. military readiness and defense priorities that support the president’s America First agenda.”
Trump is also expected to talk with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday, according to the Financial Times.
Trump and Zelensky have had a rocky relationship since Trump’s return to the White House, a low point of which was when the two of them and Vice President JD Vance got into a verbal dispute in front of the press in the Oval Office. Since then however, the Ukrainian government has agreed to the Trump-backed minerals deal that invests in Ukraine’s natural minerals resources in exchange for a portion of the future proceeds, which is supposed to act as a reimbursement for U.S. military aid provided to Ukraine.
UKRAINE’S NIGHTMARE COMES TRUE WITH PENTAGON MOVE TO HALT SOME AID THANKS TO STOCKPILES
The Trump administration has sought to end Russia’s war in Ukraine, but Putin has continued to pursue maximalist demands that have prevented the negotiations from progressing.
