Trump: I will discuss the ceasefire path with Putin and Zelensky by phone.

US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that he will hold phone calls with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday to discuss issues related to reaching a ceasefire between the two countries.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said he would hold a phone call with Putin on Monday morning, US time.

The US President revealed that the call will address the ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine and trade.

He indicated that he would later hold talks with Zelensky and some leaders of NATO member states.

Trump added, "I hope it will be a productive day, that a ceasefire will take place, and that this war, which should never have happened, will end."

For his part, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that Putin will hold telephone talks with Trump.

"Preparations for the talks are underway," Peskov was quoted as saying by the Russian news agency TASS after confirming the phone call between Putin and Trump.

Istanbul hosted peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine on Thursday and Friday, which concluded with an agreement to exchange 2,000 prisoners between the two countries.

On Friday, Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustam Umarov said at the conclusion of a tripartite meeting between Turkey, Russia, and Ukraine that the meeting discussed a ceasefire, prisoner exchange, and a possible commander-level meeting.

He added: "We reached an agreement (with Russia) to exchange 1,000 prisoners for 1,000 prisoners."

On May 11, Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed resuming direct negotiations with Ukraine without preconditions in Istanbul, asking his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, to host the new round.

For his part, President Erdoğan affirmed Türkiye's readiness to host negotiations to achieve a just and lasting peace, while the Ukrainian government welcomed the move.

Since February 24, 2022, Russia has launched a military offensive against its neighbor Ukraine, demanding that Kyiv abandon its membership in Western military entities as a condition for ending the offensive. Kyiv considers this to be "interference" in its affairs.