The Japan Times - Trump says Putin plans to retaliate after Ukraine drone strikes

Kyiv's daring mass drone strikes on Sunday destroyed several nuclear-capable bombers worth billions of dollars, and dominated the third call between the Russian and US presidents since Trump returned to power.

Earlier, Putin had appeared to rule out a ceasefire or any direct talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Turkey has suggested it could host such negotiations and invited Trump, too.

"It was a good conversation, but not a conversation that will lead to immediate Peace," said Trump in a social media post. "President Putin did say, and very strongly, that he will have to respond to the recent attack on the airfields."

The US leader added that during his call with Putin, whose forces invaded Ukraine in 2022, launching a grinding war, they had "discussed the attack on Russia's docked airplanes" as well as other attacks "by both sides."

The Kremlin described the call, which also focused on negotiations over Iran's nuclear program, as "positive" and "productive."

Trump has repeatedly alarmed Kyiv and its allies in Europe and elsewhere by pivoting towards Putin over the war, and he had a blazing Oval Office row with Zelensky in February.

- 'Why reward them?' -

The US president has, however, also shown growing frustration with Putin -- last week calling him "crazy" -- as Russia has continued attacks and derailed Trump's campaign pledge to end the war within 24 hours.

Putin's call with Trump appeared to be part of a diplomatic offensive by the Russian leader, who discussed the Ukraine war with Pope Leo XIV in a telephone conversation on Wednesday.

The Kremlin said Putin told the US-born pope he wanted peace through diplomacy but added that "the regime in Kyiv is betting on an escalation of the conflict and carrying out of acts of sabotage against civil infrastructure on Russian territory."

Putin earlier accused Ukraine of being behind "terrorist" attacks on bridges in its border regions over the weekend, including one that caused a train to derail, killing seven people.

He said any full ceasefire would just give Kyiv a chance to rearm.

"Why reward them by giving them a break from the combat, which will be used to pump the regime with Western arms, to continue their forced mobilization and to prepare different terrorist acts," Putin said in a televised government meeting.

Ukraine has been pushing for an unconditional and immediate 30-day truce, issuing its latest proposal to Moscow at peace talks in Istanbul on Monday.

- 'Ultimatum' -

Zelensky said earlier Wednesday that Russia had handed Ukraine an "ultimatum" and recycled old demands in Turkey, where the only concrete agreement was on a series of large-scale prisoner exchanges.

Moscow's demands included Ukraine fully pulling out of four regions -- Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia -- that Russia claims to have annexed but does not have full control over.

Zelensky said Ukraine was ready "any day" for a meeting proposed by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that would also include the US and Russian leaders.

The White House says Trump is "open" to such a meeting.

More than three years into Russia's invasion, which has cost tens of thousands of lives, the two sides have opened direct talks searching for a way to end what has become Europe's largest conflict since World War II.

Ukrainian troops have been suffering months of setbacks on the battlefield as Russian forces steadily advance across key sectors of the sprawling front line.

Russia's army said it had captured another village in Ukraine's Sumy border region as it seeks to establish what it calls a "buffer zone" inside Ukrainian territory.

Kyiv has sought to gain assurances of continued support from Washington. On Wednesday, senior Zelensky aide Andriy Yermak met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington.

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H.Takahashi--JT