Trump, After Call With Putin: “Let the Process Begin”
The Head of State visited the humanitarian aid center and talked to local residents.
Bucha Mayor Anatoliy Fedoruk told the President about the humanitarian situation in the city, the progress of the search for the bodies of the dead, the assessment of the damage caused by the occupiers to private and communal property, and the pace of reconstruction of the city.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy awarded Anatoliy Fedoruk with the Order of Courage of the III Degree.
The Head of State also spoke with international and Ukrainian journalists who came to Bucha to document Russia's war crimes.
"It is very important for us that journalists are here. We want you to show the world what was happening here, what the Russian military was doing, what the Russian Federation was doing in peaceful Ukraine," the President said, addressing the media.
As Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted, what the Russian occupiers did to this modern town is genocide.
"These are war crimes and they will be recognized by the world as genocide. We are aware of thousands of people killed and tortured, with their limbs cut off. Raped women, murdered children. I believe this is genocide," the President said.
In addition, the President watched the road with destroyed equipment of the Russian army, as well as the destroyed bridge across the Irpin River on the M-06 Kyiv - Chop highway.
The President noted that part of the bridge over the Irpin River will be repaired and opened in a few months.
Preparations for the construction of a temporary crossing have now begun. It will be opened in about two weeks, said Minister of Infrastructure Oleksandr Kubrakov.
According to him, full-fledged movement of one passage of the bridge can be started in two months, both passages - in three or four months.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy also visited the destroyed bridge over the Irpin River on the R-30 highway. It will take ten days to build a temporary crossing here, and a full-fledged repair will take two to three months. Original public domain image from Flickr
In a sweeping and unusually optimistic post on Truth Social, President Donald Trump said Monday that negotiations between Russia and Ukraine toward a ceasefire—and perhaps even a lasting peace—are now set to begin. His announcement followed a two-hour phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which Trump described as constructive, even cordial. Whether this truly marks a turning point in the war remains to be seen.
“I believe it went very well,” Trump wrote of the call. “Russia and Ukraine will immediately start negotiations toward a Ceasefire and, more importantly, an END to the War.”
That’s a bold claim. As of now, neither Kyiv nor Moscow has issued official statements confirming any such talks. But Trump has often tried to get ahead of the diplomacy curve—sometimes successfully, sometimes less so.
“Excellent tone and spirit” — but from whose perspective?
According to Trump, the tone of his discussion with Putin was “excellent.” That might raise some eyebrows, especially among U.S. allies who remain deeply skeptical of Putin’s intentions. Still, Trump insisted that Russia is serious this time—not just about ending the war, but about rebuilding economic ties with the West, especially the U.S.
“Russia wants to do largescale TRADE with the United States when this catastrophic ‘bloodbath’ is over,” he wrote, emphasizing that such trade could unlock “massive amounts of jobs and wealth” for both countries.
That kind of economic framing—peace as a precondition for profit—is very Trumpian. It’s how he’s long thought about global conflict: less in terms of ideology or morality, more in terms of deals, leverage, and mutual benefit. Whether that framing resonates with Ukrainians who have endured years of bombardment and occupation is another matter entirely.
Zelensky, von der Leyen, Macron… and the Pope?
Shortly after his call with Putin, Trump says he held another round of conversations—this time with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, and even the Pope, whom Trump claims has expressed interest in hosting the talks at the Vatican.
It’s a dramatic list. If accurate, it would suggest a level of diplomatic coordination that, frankly, hasn’t been seen from the U.S. on Ukraine since the early days of the war. Still, without confirmation from those leaders, the picture remains incomplete. As of this writing, the Vatican has not publicly confirmed any role in mediating.
And this raises a familiar question with Trump: Is this a declaration of intent, or a declaration of momentum that doesn’t quite exist yet?
A familiar pattern—vision first, verification later
To be honest, this reminds me of how Trump handled diplomacy with North Korea. There, too, he made sweeping announcements about peace and economic potential following high-profile talks. But over time, the actual substance of those negotiations proved thinner than expected.
That’s not to say it couldn’t be different here. The war in Ukraine has devastated both countries—Ukraine far more, of course—and there may well be internal pressure, especially in Russia, to find a way out. But meaningful peace negotiations require more than hopeful framing. They demand trust, enforcement mechanisms, and credible commitments. So far, those have been elusive.
And public opinion matters, too. Recent polling from Pew Research shows continued Western support for Ukraine’s sovereignty—but also rising fatigue, especially in the U.S., where economic concerns are eclipsing foreign policy in public discourse. Trump may be trying to capitalize on that shift, positioning himself as the president who can bring the war to an end while minimizing further U.S. involvement.
Where does this go now?
It’s not clear. If real negotiations are set to begin, the process will take time—and will likely face resistance on both sides. Ukraine, understandably, wants all of its territory restored. Russia, which has illegally annexed parts of eastern Ukraine and Crimea, shows no sign of reversing course.
Still, any opening—however narrow—is worth watching. And Trump, in his own unorthodox way, may have cracked open a door that’s been shut for too long.
But announcements are easy. Peace is not. And for now, this looks more like an opening act than a final chapter.
