From PM Modi To Brazil's Lula, These Are The Leaders Putin Dialled Ahead Of Trump-Zelenskyy Meet
As the European leaders remain on edge for the first-of-its-kind meeting with Donald Trump at the White House on Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin had a busy day too, dialling up leaders around the world and briefing them about the outcomes of his meeting with the US President in Alaska last week.
He spoke with leaders of as many as four nations, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Brazil's President Lula da Silva – who has taken on Trump head-on over the issue of tariffs.
Several European leaders, including Zelenskyy, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, UK PM Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian PM Giorgia Meloni, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, are in Washington DC today to meet Trump at the White House over the Ukraine conflict, seeking security guarantees for the country.
Putin sat at a table, holding it with his hands, with a Russian flag behind him, while the European leaders, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, have a long day ahead in Washington DC, convincing Trump – who once again slipped towards Russia after Alaska meet – to back Kyiv's security guarantees for a durable peace.
As he dialled PM Modi, the Indian Prime Minister underlined India's consistent position for a peaceful resolution of the conflict through diplomacy and dialogue, while reiterating India's support for all efforts in this regard.
Brazilian President Lula said he had a nearly 30-minute conversation with Putin, who described the meeting with Trump as 'positive".
'I received, on this Monday (18), a phone call from the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin. In the approximately 30-minute call, President Putin spoke about his meeting with President Donald Trump, of the United States, in Alaska, on August 15, which he described as positive. President Putin acknowledged Brazil's involvement with the Group of Friends of Peace, a joint initiative with China. I thanked the president for the call and reaffirmed Brazil's support for all efforts that lead to a peaceful resolution of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine," he tweeted.
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