US-RUSSIA: Trump Says Discussions With Putin Yesterday Were "Productive"

US President Donald Trump has issued a statement on Truth Social noting that discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday were "productive". His statement, which doesn't reveal if he had direct contact with Putin, likely refers to the meeting between Putin and Trump envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow.

• Trump: "We had very good and productive discussions with President Vladimir Putin of Russia yesterday, and there is a very good chance that this horrible, bloody war can finally come to an end — BUT, AT THIS VERY MOMENT, THOUSANDS OF UKRAINIAN TROOPS ARE COMPLETELY SURROUNDED BY THE RUSSIAN MILITARY, AND IN A VERY BAD AND VULNERABLE POSITION. I have strongly requested to President Putin that their lives be spared. This would be a horrible massacre, one not seen since World War II. God bless them all!!!"
• Trump's statement comes after Putin did not rule out supporting a US-brokered ceasefire for the Ukraine war, but added a list of conditions that Kyiv may find impossible to accept. 
• According to Sky News, Putin’s list of demands include: “No NATO membership for Kyiv; An agreement not to deploy foreign troops in Ukraine; And international recognition of Vladimir Putin's claim to Crimea and four Ukrainian provinces.”
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who described Putin’s statement yesterday as “very manipulative,” is unlikely to be encouraged by Trump's message which again stresses Ukraine's battlefield weakness and fails to include any potential sanctions Washington could impose if Putin rejects the ceasefire framework.