Trump Applauds Putin's "Productive" Conversations Regarding the Ukraine Ceasefire Proposal U.S. The discussions between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin regarding the proposed ceasefire in Ukraine have been described as "good and productive." Following Putin's meeting with US ambassador Steve Witkoff on Thursday evening in Moscow, the talks took place. The Kremlin expressed "cautious optimism" regarding a possible peace process after the meeting. The discussions offered "a very good chance that this horrible, bloody war can finally come to an end," Trump wrote later on Truth Social. However, Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, said that Putin had slowed down negotiations to prolong the conflict. Sir Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, echoed this concern and stated that Putin should not be permitted to "play games" with ceasefire proposals. While Ukraine has agreed to the U.S.-proposed ceasefire, Russia has yet to formally accept it. On Thursday, Putin stated that he "in principle" supported the idea of a ceasefire, but he insisted on a number of conditions, which Zelensky deemed "manipulative." On Friday, Zelensky continued his criticism, claiming that Putin was intentionally establishing "unacceptable conditions" to sabotage diplomacy. He warned that Russia intended to prolong negotiations while continuing military operations in a series of posts on X. Sir Keir Starmer stated that a peace-monitoring force ought to be prepared if Russia truly engaged in talks and that the Kremlin had shown "complete disregard" for the ceasefire proposal. Otherwise, he urged for increased economic pressure on Moscow. Sir Keir is going to host a virtual summit with up to 25 world leaders on Saturday to talk about a possible peacekeeping mission as part of a larger effort to stop Russian aggression in the future if the ceasefire is put into effect. In the meantime, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt maintained that Putin and Witkoff's talks on Thursday were "productive," and she added that Trump was putting pressure on Moscow to "do the right thing." Additionally, Trump pleaded with Putin to spare the lives of Ukrainian troops, threatening a "horrible massacre" if they were not permitted to withdraw. While the Ukrainian military insists that its troops have successfully regrouped in defensive positions, Russia asserts that Ukrainian forces in Kursk are surrounded and attempting to flee. Putin stated in response to Trump's appeal that Ukrainian surrendering soldiers would be treated with "dignity" in accordance with Russian and international law. Meanwhile, G7 leaders reaffirmed their support for the U.S.-backed ceasefire at a meeting in Quebec. While UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy emphasized the necessity of an unconditional truce, Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly stated that the proposal had broad support. The United States of America Reiterating that a structured diplomatic process was necessary to end the war, Secretary of State Marco Rubio stressed that Washington would not base its foreign policy on statements made in press conferences or on social media.