Trump's Talk With Putin, Israel's Incursion, Weather Service Budget Cuts

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What did President Trump discuss with Vladimir Putin?

Steve Inskeep 0:00
Good morning. We have two hosts in the same studio today. It's very exciting. We're behind in our work, though, because Layla and I were... We were trying to solve the world's problems. Thank you. That's a really nice, high-minded way to say it. We failed. Gossiping.
Leila Fadel 0:14
We gossiped. We failed. President Trump claimed on social media that he made progress on a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine.
Steve Inskeep 0:24
He'd been talking with Russia's Vladimir Putin, whose own statement suggested he's in no rush. What's the state of play?
Leila Fadel 0:30
I'm Leila Faldin with Steve Inskeep, and this is Up First from NPR News. Three of Israel's allies have warned Israel to end its offensive in Gaza. They're objecting to an operation that intensified in recent days. And an Israeli order for Palestinians to evacuate. How are Israelis responding to the pressure?
Steve Inskeep 0:51
Also, we've had an active tornado season, which is now a normal tornado season.
Melissa Widhelm 0:55
It used to be kind of unusual to see, you know, dozens of them in a day. And now we get that year after year.
Steve Inskeep 1:02
What evidence, if any, shows a link to climate change? Stay with us. We've got the news you need to start your day. President Trump spoke with Russia's leader Vladimir Putin for more than two hours on Monday about ending the war in Ukraine, and then Trump gave an account of the call.
Donald Trump 1:23
I said, when are we going to end this, Vladimir? I've known him for a long time now. I said, when are we going to end this bloodshed, this bloodbath? It's a bloodbath.
Leila Fadel 1:32
Trump claimed some success towards peace, but Putin again resisted Trump's calls for an immediate ceasefire. Putin proposed more talks, which would take place even as the war continues.
Steve Inskeep 1:44
NPR's Charles Maines has been covering all this from Moscow. Hey there, Charles. Morning, Steve. What did this call accomplish?
Charles Maines 1:50
You know, both sides were really complimentary about the tone of the conversation itself, which Trump called excellent and Putin said was constructive and useful. But the two leaders seemed at odds about what had actually been achieved. Trump took to social media to say Russia had agreed to immediately start ceasefire talks and, more importantly, in Trump's words, seek an end to the war. But in a brief statement to journalists, Putin suggested he was in no hurry. So here Putin says he agreed with Trump to work with Ukraine on a memorandum about a possible future peace deal, but made clear all sorts of details needed to be worked out before they could possibly lead to a ceasefire of some defined length.
Charles Maines 2:32
Moreover, Putin again emphasized that any peace deal would still have to address what he called the root causes of the conflict. That's always been Kremlin speak for Russia's fundamental desire to control Ukraine, and Ukraine knows it.
Steve Inskeep 2:44
So not really changing any of the demands that Putin has had since 2022. How did Ukraine respond?
Charles Maines 2:50
Well, I think it's first important to point out that Trump held talks with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky before the Putin conversation and after. So Trump is certainly giving Zelensky time and attention. But Zelensky has to be sensitive to offending Trump's desire to show progress here or at least not appear to be seen as an obstacle to peace. All the more so because Trump is also suggesting new business opportunities for both Russia and Ukraine once the fighting ends. So speaking after the calls, Zelensky repeated Ukraine's support for a full and immediate ceasefire, even as he really made clear he does not trust Putin's motives in these negotiations or Putin's blurring of the language of peace. Let's listen.
Melissa Widhelm 3:29
But of course, Russia is Russia. They want something, but they even don't know what they want. And when they say they want something, they want everything.
Steve Inskeep 3:42
Okay, so hard to see what the progress is, but we do have France, Germany, and the UK, other players here, threatening more sanctions against Russia if Putin doesn't agree to an immediate ceasefire. How do they see all this?
Charles Maines 3:55
You know, Putin's refusal to sign to this ceasefire deal puts Europe in an odd position. You know, do you let Trump's peace efforts play out or risk undermining them with pressure on Moscow now? That said, even if Europe does choose to impose additional sanctions, Russian analysts say the Kremlin fundamentally doesn't see it as a threat.

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