From: Transform Ukraine By Douglas Landro / May 20, 2025
As Trump and Putin Hold Two-Hour Call with No Ceasefire Agreement, Zelensky Rejects Russian Territorial Demands, While European Allies Prepare Sanctions and Ukraine Continues Strikes on Russian Infrastructure
Summary of the Day – May 19, 2025
The diplomatic arena witnessed intense activity with little tangible progress as US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a two-hour phone call that resulted in no ceasefire agreement. Instead of accepting the 30-day pause in fighting that Ukraine and its allies have demanded, Putin offered only a vague “memorandum” on a potential future peace treaty while maintaining Russia’s maximalist demands. President Volodymyr Zelensky firmly rejected Russian ultimatums to withdraw from occupied territories, declaring “No one will surrender their lands.” Meanwhile, European nations prepared coordinated sanctions and finalized a €150 billion defense fund, while Finland and Australia continued military aid to Ukraine. On the battlefield, Russian forces advanced near Chasiv Yar, Toretsk, and Novopavlivka, as Ukrainian drones struck a Russian oil pumping station in Krasnodar Krai and radar installations on captured Black Sea gas platforms.
Promises Without Substance: Trump-Putin Call Yields No Ceasefire
US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a phone call on May 19 to discuss ceasefire and peace negotiations regarding Russia’s war in Ukraine. Putin’s foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov later revealed the call lasted two hours and five minutes, though it produced no breakthrough on the critical issue of an unconditional ceasefire.
Following the call, Trump stated on Truth Social that Russia and Ukraine would “immediately begin bilateral negotiations about both a ceasefire and a peace agreement.” He also expressed that there is “a tremendous opportunity for Russia to create massive amounts of jobs and wealth” through post-war trade relations with the United States.
Putin offered a markedly different characterization, telling reporters he agreed to propose a “memorandum regarding a potential future peace treaty” that might include “a possible ceasefire for a certain period of time if the relevant agreements are reached.”
Voice of Ukraine 