Donald Trump has predicted a near end to the war in Ukraine. In a message on his Truth Social network, the U.S. president bases this statement on having had "very good and productive" conversations in the past hours with Vladimir Putin.
Throughout the morning, Moscow's messages had been more cautious. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov had mentioned that the Russian president had raised some questions to Trump about the plan to end the war in Ukraine. Peskov used the term "prudent optimism" in his statement.
Trump says "thousands of Ukrainian soldiers are surrounded" and asks Putin to "spare their lives"
Emphasizing his role as a peacemaker, U.S. President Donald Trump urged his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, on Friday to "spare the lives" of "thousands of Ukrainian soldiers" on the battlefield.
"At this moment, thousands of Ukrainian soldiers are completely surrounded by the Russian army and in a very dire and vulnerable situation. I have earnestly requested President Putin to spare their lives," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform in the same message where he mentioned his "very good and productive conversations" with the Russian president.
Russia had indicated it expected some answers regarding details of the peace plan and spoke of "prudent optimism"
Prior to Trump's statement on Truth Social that "there is a very good chance that the war may come to an end," Moscow had mentioned that more details were requested from the U.S. president regarding his peace plan.
"Putin supports Trump's stance on the settlement, but (on Thursday) he posed some questions that need to be jointly addressed," said Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov in his daily phone press conference on Friday morning.
The meeting between Putin and Witkoff, in the early hours, was the first between the Russian leader and a senior U.S. official since the start of the war in Ukraine, indicating that normalization between Moscow and Washington is progressing positively. "Undoubtedly, there are reasons for cautious optimism," Peskov stated, although he added that "much remains to be done."
Trump asserts he has had "very good and productive discussions" and suggests the war in Ukraine "may come to an end"
U.S. President Donald Trump stated on Friday that there is a "very good possibility" that the war between Russia and Ukraine could end after productive discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday.
"We had very good and productive discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday, and there is a very good chance that this horrible and bloody war may finally come to an end," Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social social network.
Anti-Russian activist shot dead in Odesa
An unknown assailant shot dead a prominent anti-Russian activist in the port city of Odesa on Friday, as reported by Ukrainian security forces. Although the victim's name, a 31-year-old, has not been disclosed, Ukrainian media reports identify him as Demian Hanul, a blogger who participated in the 2014 Maidan revolution against the then pro-Russian president of Ukraine and who was once a member of the far-right radical group Right Sector.
"The incident is classified as a premeditated murder committed by order," stated the National Police on the Telegram messaging app. A video clip purportedly capturing the shooting has been posted on the local Telegram channel, showing a burly man pointing a gun at a man lying on the sidewalk, possibly already dead, shooting, and then walking away. Reuters has not been able to verify the authenticity of this recording.
Norway imposes new sanctions on Russia for internal repression and the war in Ukraine
The Norwegian government announced on Friday the implementation of two new sets of sanctions against Russia in response to the repression of civil society in the country and Russian attempts to undermine democracy and security in Europe, as reported by Efe.
"Norway condemns Russia's attacks on democracy and human rights both inside and outside its borders and supports the European Union's (EU) measures to counter them," stated Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide in a statement.
The new sanctions involve freezing the assets of a total of 35 individuals and four Russian companies and include some national adjustments compared to EU sanctions, according to the statement.
G7 Foreign Ministers support the U.S. peace plan for Ukraine
G7 Foreign Ministers agreed on Friday to support the U.S. peace plan for Ukraine, as indicated by Canadian Chancellor Melanie Joly, who emphasized that now "the ball is in the Russians' court," reported Efe.
Ukraine accepted a U.S. proposal in Riyadh on Tuesday for an immediate and extendable thirty-day total ceasefire on land, sea, and air between Kiev and Moscow, which now awaits the response of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Albares describes Russia's response to the ceasefire proposal in Ukraine as "tepid"
The Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union, and Cooperation, José Manuel Albares, stated on Friday that Russia's response to the ceasefire proposal in Ukraine seemed "tepid" to him, contrasting Volodymyr Zelensky's peace stance with the conditions demanded by Vladimir Putin, reported Servimedia.
Albares made these remarks in an interview with 'La Sexta,' collected by Servimedia, commenting on the response of Russian leader Vladimir Putin to the 30-day ceasefire proposal made by the U.S., which Ukraine has already approved.
EU renews sanctions on Russia for the war against Ukraine
EU countries agreed on Friday to renew sanctions against 2,400 individuals and entities from Russia for another six months due to the war against Ukraine, according to diplomatic sources, reported Afp.
The renewal of sanctions overcame the opposition presented by Hungary, whose government is considered in Brussels as the strongest ally of Russia in the bloc.
The Hungarian blockade was lifted after EU countries removed four individuals from the list of sanctioned individuals.
Ukraine says Putin "seeks to continue the war" by setting conditions for the ceasefire
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiga declared on Friday that Russian President Vladimir Putin "wants to continue the war" by setting conditions for declaring the immediate 30-day ceasefire proposed by the U.S., something that Kiev is willing to accept, reported Efe.
"Ukraine said 'yes' to the ceasefire proposal. Because Ukraine wants peace. Instead of saying 'yes,' Putin has set several conditions," stated Sibiga after the Russian president requested, among other things on Thursday, that no weapons be sent to Kiev during the ceasefire advocated by the U.S. Sibiga added that "Ukraine seeks to end the war" while "Putin seeks to prolong it."
Ukrainian Defense Minister thanks Robles for Spain's contribution "to Ukraine's and Europe's security"
The Spanish Minister of Defense, Margarita Robles, received her Ukrainian counterpart, Rustem Umerov, in Madrid on Friday at a crucial moment in the war, with the U.S.-negotiated 30-day ceasefire proposal on the table, to which Kiev has already agreed. Umerov emphasized that "Spain is a huge support for us and contributes to Ukraine's security and Europe's security," reported Servimedia.
Rustem Umerov was received with military honors at the Ministry's headquarters, and together with Minister Robles, they reviewed the troops after the performance of the anthems of Ukraine and Spain.
In the subsequent bilateral meeting, they held discussions with their respective teams and signed an agreement to continue the training and instruction of Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel, with over 7,000 already trained in Spain as part of the EU's Eumam UA mission.
The Kremlin announces that the U.S. envoy will convey a message from Putin to Trump
The Kremlin announced on Friday that Vladimir Putin delivered a message on Thursday to U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, regarding the 30-day ceasefire proposed in Ukraine by Washington, reported Afp.
The Russian president "conveyed through Witkoff additional information and instructions directed to President Trump," stated Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, who expressed being "cautiously optimistic" during his daily media briefing.