Trump calls Zelensky ‘calmer’, urges Russia to stop attacks amid warning of US abandoning peace efforts

US President Donald Trump on Sunday called on Russia to stop its attacks on Ukraine, while his top diplomat warned that the US could withdraw from peace talks if there’s no meaningful progress, Reuters reported.

Trump expressed disappointment over Russia’s continued aggression and said his private meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy at the Vatican the day before had been positive.

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“I see him as calmer. I think he understands the picture, and I think he wants to make a deal,” Trump said of Zelenskiy.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, meanwhile, stated that the Trump administration could pull out of its efforts to negotiate a peace agreement if Russia and Ukraine fail to show progress.

“It needs to happen soon,” Rubio told the NBC program “Meet the Press.'” “We cannot continue to dedicate time and resources to this effort if it's not going to come to fruition.”

While in Rome for the funeral of Pope Francis, Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy met inside a Vatican basilica on Saturday in an effort to revive stalled peace talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine. It marked their first face-to-face meeting since a tense exchange in the Oval Office back in February and came at a pivotal moment in ongoing negotiations, Reuters reported.

Also Read: Zelenskiy Has Hopeful Meeting With Trump, Who Then Rebukes Putin

Following the meeting, Trump criticised Russian President Vladimir Putin on social media, stating there is "no reason" for Russia to launch missiles into civilian areas.

In a pre-taped interview that aired on the CBS program “Face the Nation” on Sunday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Russia would continue to target sites used by Ukraine's military. When asked about a Russian strike on Kyiv last week that killed civilians, Lavrov said that “the target attacked was not something absolutely civilian” and that Russia targets only "sites which are used by the military."

Zelenskiy wrote on the messaging app Telegram that his top military commander reported that Russia had already conducted nearly 70 attacks on Sunday, Reuters reported.

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“The situation at the front and the real activity of the Russian army prove that there is currently insufficient pressure on Russia from the world to end this war,” Zelenskiy said.

Ukrianian-European officials on US proposals

Last week, Ukrainian and European officials pushed back against certain U.S. proposals regarding how to end the war, offering counterproposals on key issues, including territory and sanctions.

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American suggestions included U.S. recognition of Russia’s control over Crimea, the Ukrainian peninsula seized and annexed by Moscow in 2014, as well as de facto recognition of Russia’s control over other parts of Ukraine.

In contrast, the European and Ukrainian proposals called for deferring detailed discussions about territorial issues until after a ceasefire is reached.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said on Sunday that Ukraine should not agree to the American proposal, saying it went too far in ceding swathes of territory in return for a ceasefire, Reuters reported.

Russia lanches airstrikes across Ukraine

Russia launched a widespread drone and airstrike assault across Ukraine early Sunday, resulting in at least four deaths, officials reported. The attack came shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump expressed skepticism about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s commitment to ending the war.

Also Read: ‘Finish them off’ – Russian President Putin issues chilling threat to Ukrainian troops; calls for Zelensky’s ouster

Three people were killed and four others injured in airstrikes on Kostyantynivka, located in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, according to the regional prosecutor's office, as reported by Associated Press.

“Another person died and a 14-year-old girl was wounded in a drone attack on the city of Pavlohrad in the Dnipropetrovsk region, which was hit for the third consecutive night,” Gov. Serhii Lysak said, AP reported.