Trump Takes to Truth Social

So, Trump was on Truth Social dropping a post about his upcoming chats, and guess what the big topic is?

Stopping the Carnage in Ukraine

Stopping the absolute carnage in Ukraine—it’s just brutal, with apparently over 5,000 soldiers from both sides down each week. Yep, that’s the horror he’s talking about tackling with the Russian leader.

Trump’s Packed Schedule

And it doesn’t stop there. Trump’s got a pretty packed schedule. After his chat with Russia, he’s going to hop on a call with President Zelensky of Ukraine, and then touch base with various NATO peeps.

Hope for Peace

Hope’s in the air, though. Trump’s crossing his fingers for a productive day ahead. He’s really pushing for a ceasefire to quit this nasty fight that he says should’ve never started.

Previous Efforts

Speaking of efforts, this isn’t the first rodeo for Trump trying to put a lid on this. Since January when he started his term, he’s been all out to forge peace between the two warring sides. Came close to sealing a ceasefire deal, too, but alas, nothing stuck so far.

Cooperation in Istanbul

And hey, there was a tiny glimmer of cooperation last Friday in Istanbul. Ukrainian and Russian folks agreed to swap some prisoners, but still no word on a ceasefire that sticks, as NBC News spilled the beans.

Marco Rubio's Involvement

Meanwhile, Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s been busy too. He had a chit-chat with Russia’s Sergey Lavrov on Saturday, giving thumbs up to the prisoner exchange and carrying Trump’s hefty message of needing an end to this war pronto. Rubio’s even talking up this grand peace plan the U.S. has been cooking, pushing for an immediate ceasefire and to stop the violence. Big goals, right?

Zelensky’s Diplomatic Moves

Then there was Zelensky, doing the rounds in Rome on Saturday. Had a sit-down with Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter, thankful for all the support Switzerland's been dishing out, especially for helping keep the kids safe with shelters at schools.

Importance of Cooperation

Zelensky’s also trying to get everyone on the same page in Istanbul about the peace talks, stressing to the Swiss how important it is to keep the U.S. in the loop and to tighten the screws on Russia for that total ceasefire.

Meetings in Washington

Now, flip the scene to Washington. With Pope Leo XIV hosting his first mass, Vice President JD Vance had a little pow-wow with Zelensky, hidden by all that holy fanfare. It’s actually their first major meet-up since some fiery exchanges went down in the Oval Office back in February.

Challenges Ahead

But here's the kicker: while they were talking peace and all, there's buzz that Moscow launched a huge drone strike on Ukraine. Even whispers of a looming nuclear threat. Yikes! Zelensky, of course, called the meet-up productive, slapping some happy snaps on the 'net of him and the U.S. team chilling outside.

Upcoming Talks

Trump’s set for another round of talks with Zelensky on Monday, and he’s penciled in for a similar sit-down with Putin.

Preparations for Dialogue

And before the Trump-Putin call on Monday, he’s got pre-gaming sessions lined up with the leaders from Britain, Germany, France, and Poland. They’re all tuning up for the big dialogue thanks to a heads-up from German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Merz had a word with Rubio about all this, roping in some solid prep time before Trump dials up Putin.

Looking Back

As for making real peace moves? Well, those first face-to-face talks between Kyiv and Moscow didn’t exactly go as hoped. It all kicked off with Russia’s big military move in Mariupol back in 2022, and here we are, still looking for that breakthrough.