Putin categorically rejects possibility of resuming Ukraine peace talks in call with Trump

Russian strongman Vladimir Putin shot down any prospect of peace talks with Ukraine during his phone call with President Trump — before Moscow killed at least 20 Ukrainians in strikes early Saturday.The Russian tyrant said he would continue fighting with Kyiv until he has achieved “all his objectives,” during a Friday call with Trump that lasted an hour and a half.“Putin made it clear that Moscow will continue hostilities until it achieves all stated goals,” Russian foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov told state media.Putin also tried convincing Trump that Ukraine had “no prospects whatsoever” and that Russia has the outcome of the war “entirely in their hands” — despite evidence pointing to Moscow’s advances slowing in recent weeks and Kyiv even gaining ground.Ushakov said Trump initiated the call to “warmly wish Putin a happy birthday, informally wish him success and well-being and pass on greetings from the First Lady,” the Ukrainian Pravda reported.He also claimed Trump said he would relay the message received from Putin about peace talks to the Ukrainian government.“Neither wanted to be the first to hang up,” the phone, According to Ushakov.It comes after high level talks Friday organized by the United States — with special envoy Steve Witkoff, Ukrainian negotiators and representatives from United Kingdom, France, Germany, the European Commission and NATO — failed to make any breakthrough after six hours at the table.Ukrainian officials, meanwhile, said they were “blindsided” by Washington’s decision Friday to remove export sanctions on Russia so it can send diesel to the United States — a move that infuriated Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who called it a “weak decision” that would fuel Putin’s war machine.“It felt like a trap,” a senior Ukrainian official told the Kyiv Independent.Russian forces capitalized on the momentum and attacked a residential neighborhood in Zaporizhzhia with five guided aerial...