On May 20, 2025, Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump met by phone, where they spoke for two hours regarding the potential ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine. Trump called the meeting productive and expressed his belief that Putin was genuinely interested in making peace.
However, Trump’s assertions that Putin is looking for peace are contrasted by Russia’s increase in military activity, as, since the meeting, the violence between the two countries has escalated.
Despite saying that only he could stop the war, Trump is now suggesting that he will take a step back from mediating talks, saying that the ceasefire agreement would be left to be decided between Ukraine and Russia.
However, peace talks still have not stopped violence. Despite a large prisoner exchange that occurred on May 23, in which both Ukraine and Russia agreed to release 1000 prisoners of war (POW), Russia launched major drone and missile strikes on Kyiv two days later.
The assault consisted of 367 missiles and drones, making it the largest single attack since the war started. Although Trump had not majorly criticized Putin up to this point, he blasted him on May 25 as “absolutely crazy” and that Putin was “needlessly killing a lot of people.” He also warned that Russia’s attempt to conquer Ukraine would lead to the country’s downfall.
French President Emmanuel Macron and several other European leaders took Trump’s anger as a sign of hope, as it signaled a potential increase in pressure towards Moscow to accept a ceasefire. Macron also urged Ukraine’s allies to set a solid deadline for Russia to accept the ceasefire, and threaten “massive sanctions” if it refused.
Russia’s hostility nd increased aggression were followed up when hundreds of Ukrainian settlements were evacuated as a result of the Russian military capturing two villages in the Northern Sumy region.
On May 31, Mike Pompeo, United States Secretary of State during Trump’s first term, made a speech in Odesa, a city in Ukraine. He called for Trump to reject Russia’s assertions of control over areas it had forcefully taken over, saying that the US accepting Russia’s control over Crimea would be a “mistake of epic proportions.”
On June 1, Ukraine claimed to have hit more than 40 Russian planes in various airfields. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) claimed that Ukraine is conducting a large operation to destroy Russian bomber planes. The next day, Russia launched two ballistic missiles in the Kyiv and Kharkiv regions, injuring several people.
As the US seems to be getting less involved in attempting to broker a truce between the two countries, hostility and war still remain major issues for both countries.
Sources:
https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/18/europe/russia-largest-drone-attack-ukraine-war-intl
https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/19/politics/trump-putin-call-ukraine-russia
https://www.foxnews.com/world/major-russia-ukraine-prisoner-swap-underway-official-says
https://www.npr.org/2025/05/25/g-s1-68868/russia-ukraine-drone-missile-attack