Trump says Russia-Ukraine ceasefire talks will begin immediately following call with Putin
Washington, May 19 (AP): President Donald Trump said Monday that Russia and Ukraine will “immediately” begin ceasefire negotiations after what he described as an “excellent” call with Russian President Vladimir Putin that lasted more than two hours.
Trump also spoke with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders in hopes of making progress toward a ceasefire.
“The conditions for that will be negotiated between the two parties, as it can only be, because they know details of a negotiation that nobody else would be aware of,” Trump said in a social media post.
Trump said the call was “excellent,” adding, "If it wasn't, I would say so now, rather than later.” The conversations came after the White House said the US leader has grown “frustrated” with both leaders over the continuing war in Ukraine.
After the call, Putin said Russia was ready to continue discussing an end to the fighting, but he indicated there was no major breakthrough in what he termed a “very informative and very frank” conversation with Trump. Putin said the warring countries should “find compromises that would suit all parties."
Moscow, he said, will “propose and is ready to work with” Ukraine on a “memorandum” outlining the framework for “a possible future peace treaty.”
“At the same time, I would like to note that, in general, Russia's position is clear. The main thing for us is to eliminate the root causes of this crisis,” the Russian president said.
Trump has struggled to end a war that began with Russia's invasion in February 2022. That makes these conversations a serious test of his reputation as a deal maker after having claimed he would quickly settle the conflict once he was back in the White House, if not even before he took office.
Trump expressed his hopes for a “productive day” Monday — and a ceasefire — but ahead of the call, Vice President JD Vance said Trump is “more than open” to walking away from trying to end the war if he feels Putin isn't serious about negotiation.
“He's grown weary and frustrated with both sides of the conflict,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Monday ahead of the call. “He has made it clear to both sides that he wants to see a peaceful resolution and ceasefire as soon as possible.”
The Republican president is banking on the idea that his force of personality and personal history with Putin will be enough to break any impasse over a pause in the fighting.
“I'd say we're more than open to walking away,” Vance told reporters before leaving Rome after meeting with Pope Leo XIV. Vance said Trump has been clear that the US “is not going to spin its wheels here. We want to see outcomes.”
Trump said the Vatican expressed interest in hosting the negotiations, but there was no immediate confirmation that any talks had been scheduled.
Trump's frustration builds over failure to end war
Trump's frustration about the war had been building before his post Saturday on Truth Social about the coming calls.
Trump said his discussion with Putin would focus on stopping the “bloodbath” of the war. It also will cover trade, a sign that Trump might be seeking to use financial incentives to broker some kind of agreement after Russia's invasion led to severe sanctions by the United States and
its allies that have steadily eroded Moscow's ability to grow.
Trump's hope, according to the post, is that “a war that should have never happened will end.”
Vance said Trump would press Putin on whether he was serious about negotiating an end to the conflict, saying Trump doesn't believe he is and that Trump may wash his hands of trying to end the war.
“It takes two to tango,” Vance said, adding that “if Russia is not willing to do that, then we're eventually just going to have to say, this is not our war. It's Joe Biden's war, it's Vladimir Putin's war."
His treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, said Sunday on NBC's “Meet the Press” that Trump had made it clear that a failure by Putin to negotiate “in good faith” could lead to additional sanctions against Russia.
Bessent suggested the sanctions that began during the administration of Democratic President Joe Biden were inadequate because they did not stop Russia's oil revenues, due to concerns that doing so would increase US prices. The United States sought to cap Russia's oil revenues while preserving the country's petroleum exports to limit the damage from the inflation that the war produced.
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UP cites SC ruling 'no loudspeakers during night hours' to clarify mosque announcements for Ramzan
Lucknow (PTI): The Uttar Pradesh government on Thursday clarified its stand on announcements from mosques for 'sehri' and 'iftar' during Ramzan, saying the practice dates back to a time when clocks were not widely in use, and that the Supreme Court orders on use of loudspeakers remained in force.
Samajwadi Party member Kamal Akhtar raised the issue during Zero Hour in the Assembly, saying since festivals of all religions, including Holi, Diwali, Dussehra, Kanwar Yatra as well as Christian and Sikh celebrations, are observed in the state, mosques should be allowed to use loudspeakers for making announcements during the holy month of Ramzan that commenced on Thursday.
Akhtar said brief announcements are traditionally made from the mosques to inform people observing fast about the timings of ‘sehri’ (pre-dawn meal) and ‘iftar’ (meal to break the fast).
He also claimed that the government recently removed loudspeakers from most religious places, and urged it to permit mosque announcements during Ramzan to provide relief to people.
The Supreme Court prohibits the use of loudspeakers, public address systems, and sound-producing instruments from 10 pm to 6 am, except in closed premises such as auditoriums, conference rooms, and banquet halls for internal communication.
Responding to Akhtar, Finance and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Suresh Kumar Khanna said the Supreme Court has clearly directed that loudspeakers should not be used after 10 pm.
Even at weddings, police ensure compliance if complaints are received about loudspeakers being used beyond the stipulated time, he said.
Referring to the tradition of mosque announcements for ‘sehri’ and ‘iftar’, Khanna said the practice originated when clocks were not common and people estimated time by the position of the sun.
“Today, almost every person – whether a rickshaw puller, street vendor or vegetable seller – has a mobile phone that shows time. So the necessity is no longer there,” he said.
While the government does not interfere in anyone's religious beliefs, the Supreme Court has laid down the rules on the use of loudspeakers, and “it is not our order”, the minister said.
Claiming that the apex court order relates to sound levels and does not prohibit the use of loudspeakers, Akhtar urged the minister to allow the announcements during Ramzan.
The minister, however, did not offer any further reply.
