U.S. President Donald Trump revealed on Monday that he had called Russian President Vladimir Putin after last week's talks in Washington with Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders.
Mr. Trump was previously reported to have called Mr. Putin on August 18 when he broke off from his talks with Mr. Zelenskyy and European leaders at the White House to place the call.
"Yes, I have," Mr. Trump answered reporters when queried if he had talked to Mr. Putin since then.
Asked to describe the character of the latest telephone conversation, Mr. Trump said: "Every conversation I have with him is a good conversation. And then, unfortunately, a bomb is loaded up into Kyiv or someplace, and I get very angry about it."
Before, Mr. Trump also had a meeting with Mr. Putin in Alaska on August 15 during a historic summit to negotiate the end of Russia's war on Ukraine.
Following their call on August 18, Mr. Trump announced that Mr. Putin had agreed on a bilateral meeting with Mr. Zelenskyy, but Moscow has since declared that there are no such plans.
"Because he doesn't like him," Mr. Trump replied when asked why Mr. Putin appeared reluctant to meet Mr. Zelenskyy in person.
Nonetheless, Mr. Trump was optimistic that a deal ending the war was still possible. "I think we're going to get the war done," he stated.
After Washington talks with Mr. Zelenskyy and EU leaders, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio pledged to keep discussions among friends working towards a future settlement. The State Department mentioned that Rubio took part in a bilateral call on Monday with Ukraine's Foreign Minister and colleagues from Britain, France, Finland, Germany, Italy, Poland, and the European Union.
The ministers vowed to "continue cooperation in diplomatic efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war through a lasting negotiated settlement," State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said.
Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, whose right-wing government has sought to bring the U.S. and European allies into closer alignment, again called for security guarantees to Ukraine inspired by NATO's collective defense commitment. Mr. Tajani "emphasized the need for concrete and credible security guarantees for Ukraine, particularly in support of upgrading the Ukrainian military and its defense industry," the Italian Foreign Ministry stated.
He also said that Italy was ready to participate in demining efforts on land and sea.
During the last week, Mr. Trump informed Mr. Zelenskyy of some progress towards security guarantees but has invariably sided with Russia in excluding Ukraine from NATO membership.
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