Al Jazeera :
US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin hold a phone call discussion in order to establish peace globally as Russia-Ukraine war spikes globally.
They are holding a phone conversation amid efforts to reach a ceasefire deal in the war in Ukraine.
After speaking to Putin, Trump is due to call Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and NATO leaders.
Zelenskyy on Sunday met top US officials and European leaders in Rome, insisting that Ukraine is engaged in “real diplomacy” to get a ceasefire.
Russia believes it’s in ‘good bargaining position’ despite impact of sanctions.
Separately, the leaders of France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom discussed in a call with Trump the need for an unconditional ceasefire and for Putin to take “peace talks seriously”, according to a UK government spokesperson.
The diplomatic efforts come as Ukraine says Russia launched its largest drone barrage since the start of its full-scale invasion in February 2022, firing a total of 273 exploding drones and decoys at several Ukrainian regions.
While Russia’s official position is that it has already withstood extensive international sanctions and won’t be swayed by new ones, the financial strain has caused problems – particularly with paying for commercial imports and managing supply chain logistics with Europe, according to Russian defence analyst Pavel Felgenhauer.
“Money does not move easily,” Felgenhauer told Al Jazeera.
“But Russia’s economy is still working. Russia still sees itself as in a good bargaining position,” he said. Kremlin says ending war will require ‘painstaking’ work
In a statement issued just before Trump and Putin got on the phone, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said efforts to end the war would be “painstaking”.
“In some areas it may be a long process,” Peskov was quoted by state media as saying. “The settlement involves a large number of nuances that need to be discussed.”
He added that Russia is ready to work on resolving the challenges.
