Rome - Saba:
The Italian Prime Minister's official office reported that Prime Minister Giorgio Meloni, her British counterpart Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and French President Emmanuel Macron held telephone consultations with US President Donald Trump ahead of the US-Russia talks scheduled for Monday.
The Italian Cabinet said: "The Prime Minister reiterated Italy's support, as well as that of its European and Western partners, for President Trump's efforts to achieve a just and lasting peace in Ukraine, stressing the importance of an immediate and unconditional ceasefire."
It added: "In conclusion, the Prime Minister expressed her gratitude for Ukraine's renewed willingness to dialogue and reiterated her hope that Moscow would seriously engage in direct contacts between the two leaders in negotiations that would lead to peace."
US President Donald Trump announced yesterday, Saturday, his intention to call Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday, May 19, to discuss the Ukrainian conflict.
A Ukrainian newspaper reported on Friday, citing Zelensky's press secretary, Sergei Nikiforov, that Zelensky, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk had a telephone conversation with US President Donald Trump during a meeting as part of the summit in Albania.
Starmer later claimed that "Russia took an unacceptable position in the Istanbul negotiations" and that he "discussed the issue with US President Donald Trump." The Russian embassy in London responded, saying that "such words are puzzling."
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