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Trump to speak with Putin ahead of call with Zelensky

Trump to speak with Putin ahead of call with Zelensky

RTÉ News​18 hours ago
Russian President Vladimir Putin and US counterpart Donald Trump said they would speak on the phone this afternoon, their first publicly announced call in over two weeks.
A senior Ukrainian official said that Mr Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also planned to speak to each other but not until tomorrow.
Mr Trump has been in regular contact with both leaders since taking office in January as he pushes for an end to their nearly three-and-a-half year conflict.
Neither Mr Putin nor Mr Trump said what they would discuss in the call.
They have previously discussed issues such as the Ukraine conflict and economic cooperation.
"Will be speaking to President Putin of Russia at 10AM Thank you!" Mr Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. however, he did not say what they would discuss.
Mr Trump and Mr Zelensky are expected to discuss the abrupt halt in some key US weapons deliveries to Kyiv, with the Ukrainian leader expected to raise potential future arms sales, the Financial Times reported.
The timing of that call could change, the FT added, citing people familiar with the planning.
The White House did not respond to a request for comment on the reported call. The US has paused some shipments of critical weapons to Ukraine due to low stockpiles.
That decision led to Ukraine calling in the acting US envoy to Kyiv yesterday to underline the importance of military aid from Washington continuing, and caution that the move would weaken Ukraine's ability to defend against intensifying Russian airstrikes and battlefield advances.
The Pentagon's move led in part to a cut in deliveries of Patriot air defence missiles that Ukraine relies on to destroy fast-moving ballistic missiles.
Russia focusing airstrikes on Ukraine draft offices to derail recruitment, Kyiv says
Meanwhile two people were killed in a Russian airstrike on the central Ukrainian city of Poltava and damaged a military draft office there in what Kyiv said was a concerted campaign to disrupt recruitment for its war effort.
The strike on Poltava, which also injured 47 people and caused a fire at the city's main draft office, followed a drone attack on Monday near a recruitment centre in Kryvyi Rih.
Both cities are regional capitals.
"We understand that their (Russian) goal is to disrupt the mobilisation process," Vitaliy Sarantsev, a spokesperson for Ukraine's ground forces, told Ukraine's public broadcaster.
"But I want to say that...it is too early (for Russia) to uncork the champagne because the process is impossible to stop."
Ukraine has struggled to fend off a bigger and better-equipped Russian army, and its call-up process has been marred by reports of draft-office corruption, poor training and weak battlefield command.
Well into the fourth year of its full-scale invasion, Russia has gained ground in eastern Ukraine and repeatedly hit cities far behind the front lines with drones and missiles, while also waging a sabotage campaign there, Kyiv's domestic security agency says.
In a statement last month, the Security Service of Ukraine said it had arrested more than 700 people since 2024 for alleged crimes that included arson attacks on troop vehicles and bombings at draft offices.
A Ukrainian security official, who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive matters, said Russia was aiming to derail Kyiv's military call-up effort also by spreading disinformation and hacking recruitment office computers.
"The disruption of mobilisation is closely linked to the spread of panic and intimidation of the population," the source said, adding that bombings were part of the general strategy.
Intensifying strikes
Russian forces have also stepped up strikes on military training grounds in recent weeks, prompting Kyiv's top general to order a strengthening of security measures at bases.
A missile attack on southeastern Ukraine this week killed a brigade commander.
Ukrainian forces have also staged longer-range attacks on Russian bases in occupied territory as well as deep inside Russia.
Today's strike on Poltava came after the US said it had paused some weapons shipments to Ukraine, which drew warnings in Kyiv that the move would harm Ukraine's defence against intensifying Russian air strikes and battlefield gains.
Separately, two people were killed in a ballistic missile strike on port infrastructure in the southern Ukrainian city of Odesa, said regional governor Oleh Kiper.
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