A firefighter works at the site of a Russian drone strike outside Kyiv, Ukraine, May 18, 2025 (Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters)

EA on TVP World: Trump, Putin, and Ukraine’s Resistance

Sunday’s Coverage: Russia Murders 9 Civilians in Sumy

UPDATE 2103 GMT:

Speaking in the White House Rose Garden, Donald Trump has summarized:

I think some progress has been made. It’s a terrible situation going on over there. Five thousand young people every single week are being killed so hopefully we did something.

We also spoke to the heads of most of the European nations and we’re trying to get that whole thing wrapped up. What a shame that it ever started in the first place.

UPDATE 1854 GMT:

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says Kyiv and its partners are considering a meeting of the leaders of Ukraine, Russia, the US, European Union countries, and the UK to end Moscow’s invasion.

Zelensky said he hoped the meeting, occurring as soon as possible, could be hosted by Turkey, the Vatican, or Switzerland.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen posted about a “good call”, alongside Zelensky and the other European leaders, with Donald Trump after his conversation with Vladimir Putin.

“It’s important that the US stays engaged,” she said.

The office of Italian Prime Minister Gioriga Meloni said:

Work is underway to immediately start negotiations between the parties that can lead to a ceasefire as soon as possible and build the conditions for a just and lasting peace in Ukraine.

In this regard, the Holy Father’s willingness to host the talks at the Vatican was considered positive.

UPDATE 1851 GMT:

Implicitly reinforcing Vladimir Putin’s demand that an agreement is reached with Ukraine before any ceasefire, the Kremlin said no timeline for a halt to Russia’s invasion was discussed with Donald Trump.

UPDATE 1750 GMT:

Donald Trump has posted on social media that his call with Vladimir Putin “went very well” with an “excellent…tone and spirit”: “Russia and Ukraine will immediately start negotiations toward a ceasefire and, more importantly bring and end to the war.”

Trump said he has also spoken with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky, as well as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and Finland’s President Alexander Stubb.

He declared, “The Vatican, as represented by the Pope, has stated that it would be very interested in hosting the negotiations.”

UPDATE 1730 GMT:

After his phone call with Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin has restated his ultimatum to Ukraine while declaring his willingness to work with Trump on a memorandum for “peace”.

Putin used his standard phrase for Ukraine to give up territory, accept demilitarization and “neutral” status, forego any security ties with Western partners, and possibly remove the Zelensky Government: “The main thing for us is to eliminate the root causes of this crisis.”

Despite his refusal to attend the Istanbul talks on Thursday or to send a high-level minister such as Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Putin said efforts to end the war in Ukraine were “on the right track”.

We have agreed with the president of the United States that Russia will propose and is ready to work with the Ukrainian side on a memorandum on a possible future peace accord, defining a number of positions, such as, for example, the principles of settlement, the timing of a possible peace agreement.

If those “appropriate” agreements are reached, then and only then could there be a ceasefire.

A US official said the two men spoke for almost two hours, while Russian State media said the conversation lasted 2 1/2 hours.

UPDATE 1530 GMT:

The German government says toughened European Union sanctions on Russia are being coordinated with the Trump Administration.

The proposed sanctions include measures over the Nord Stream gas pipelines from Russia to Germany.

“The federal government supports the elements that affect Nord Stream,” spokesperson Stefan Cornelius said. Washington’s participation would be “very central”.

“Chancellor [Friedrich] Merz is working with US and European partners on new sanctions against Russia,” Cornelius said. “The intention of these sanctions is to achieve agreement from Russia to an unconditional truce.”

European Commission President Urusla Von der Leyen called for new sanctions against Moscow after Vladimir Putin declined to attend Ukraine-Russia talks in Istanbul last Thursday. The package include sanctions on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines, additional listings of vessels from Russia’s shadow fleet, a lower price cap on Russia’s oil exports, and restrictions on the Russian financial sector.

UPDATE 1518 GMT:

The European Union’s 27 countries have agreed in principle to launch a common defense fund of €150 billion ($170 billion).

The new mechanism was proposed by the European Commission in March. It followed a call by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen for an €800 billion investment over five years in defense production.

A formal agreement is expected next week.

UPDATE 1113 GMT:

Russia’s Prosecutor General has banned Amnesty International Limited as an “undesirable organization”, accusing it of backing Ukraine against Moscow’s invasion.

The Prosecutor General said Amnesty’s London office was a “center for the preparation of global Russophobic projects”. The human rights group was “doing everything possible to intensify the military confrontation in the region”.

UPDATE 1036 GMT:

A victim of Russia’s record drone strikes on Sunday was murdered while shielding her 4-year-old son.

Anna Yefymenko, a 27-year-old photographer, was slain in the Kyiv region. Her son Mark was seriously wounded with eye injuries, and her parents remain hospitalized.

Yefymenko’s husband Serhiy is serving in Ukraine’s military.

UPDATE 1023 GMT:

Finland will supply €90 million (around $100 million) of heavy ammunition to Ukraine using proceeds from frozen Russian assets.

The Defense Ministry announced the step as part of a broader European Union initiative to channel profits from the assets into support for Ukraine’s defense. Finland has reached an agreement with the European Commission to implement the measure through the European Peace Facility.

UPDATE 1008 GMT:

The Kremlin has confirmed that Vladimir Putin will speak with Donald Trump at 5 p.m. Moscow/10 a.m. Washington time.

UPDATE 0752 GMT:

“Sources close to the Kremlin” say Vladimir Putin is confident that the Russian army can fully capture four Ukrainian regions — Donetsk and Luhansk in the east and Kherson and Zaporizhzhia in the south — by the end of 2025.

The sources say Putin is not interested in a ceasefire. Instead, he is ready for a protracted war and is not afraid of toughened US sanctions.

They added that the Russian leader will make no concession to Donald Trump during any phone call on Monday.

Pro-Kremlin political scientist Sergey Markov summarized:

Trump wants Putin to agree to a ceasefire, but he absolutely does not want it. However, Putin is not interested in disrupting the negotiations either. He is trying to maneuver so that these negotiations continue in parallel with the military offensive.

At last Thursday’s Ukraine-Russia talks, the head of the Kremlin’s delegation, Vladimir Medinsky, reportedly threatened that if Kyiv did not accept the Russian terms, Moscow would demand six regions plus Crimea on the next occasion.

He invoked Russia’s 21-year war with Sweden in the 18th century to proclaim that the Kremlin is ready to fight “forever”.

But a “source close to the Russian Defense Ministry” doubted that the Russian army will be able to break through Ukrainian defenses within Putin’s time frame. They noted that Ukrainian drones have made large-scale offensives costly and ineffective for Russia.

UPDATE 0739 GMT:

Meeting Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky in Rome on Sunday, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed Canberra’s supply of 49 US-made Abrams tanks to Kyiv.

“The Russian illegal aggression needs to be resisted and we stand with Ukraine very clearly and unequivocally, and we also have, of course, called for peace,” Albanese said.

The delivery of Australia’s retired M1A1 Abrams tanks had been delayed by the Trump Administration’s objection.

But Australia’s State broadcaster ABC says permission has been granted, and the first of the 49 tanks are being loaded onto a cargo ship.

Zelensky and Albanese also discussed sanctions to press Russia into a ceasefire, coordinating actions with international partners.

UPDATE 0724 GMT:

Russia followed up its record drone assault on Sunday with the launch of 112 UAVs overnight.

Air defenses shot down 41, and 35 were lost to electronic counter-measures.

At least two civilians were killed and at least 13 injured by Russian attacks across Ukraine in the past 24 hours.

The fatalities and six injuries were in the Kherson region in southern Ukraine amid attacks on more than 30 towns and villages. Residential areas, a factory, a cell tower, and railway infrastructure were among the damaged sites.

Casualties were also reported from the Kharkiv, Donetsk, and Sumy regions.

ORIGINAL ENTRY: On the eve of Monday’s possible phone call from Donald Trump to Vladimir Putin, Russia has launched the largest drone assault of its 39-month full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The Russians launched 273 UAVs early Sunday. Air defenses intercepted 88 drones, and 128 others were lost to electronic counter-measures. Air alerts lasted more than eight hours.

At least two people were slain and 23 injured.

In the Kyiv region, one civilian was killed and three injured, including a 4-year-old child. The other fatality was in the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine.

Casualties were also reported in the Kherson, Dnipropetrovsk, and Zaporizhzhia regions.

Russia’s previous record was 267 drones on February 23, just before the three-year anniversary of the invasion.

Ukraine Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said, “Russia has a clear goal – to continue killing civilians.”

Trump said on Saturday that he will call Putin at 10 a.m. Washington time and 5 p.m. in Moscow. He declared that he will then contact Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky and leaders of NATO countries

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said preparations are being made for the two men to speak. He did did not give a day, but Russia State media said the conversation is “expected” on Monday.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer intend to speak with Trump before his call to Putin.

A spokesperson for Starmer said the three Europeans “discussed the need for an unconditional ceasefire and for President Putin to take peace talks seriously”. They also discussed tougher sanctions on Moscow if Russia failed to engage seriously with a ceasefire and talks to end its invasion.

Zelensky Meets Vance

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky spoken with US Vice President J.D. Vance on Sunday, their first discussion since Vance’s verbal ambush of Zelensky in the White House on February 28.

The encounter was at the inauguration mass of Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican.

Zelensky posted about the conversation in the aftermath of Thursday’s direct Ukraine-Russia meeting in Istanbul, Turkey.

I reaffirmed that Ukraine is ready to be engaged in real diplomacy and underscored the importance of a full and unconditional ceasefire as soon as possible.

We have also touched upon the need for sanctions against Russia, bilateral trade, defense cooperation, battlefield situation and upcoming prisoners exchange. Pressure is needed against Russia until they are eager to stop the war. And, of course, we talked about our joint steps to achieve a just and durable peace.

Vance put up a brief statement with photos: