US President Donald Trump has ditched his call for a ceasefire in Ukraine, backing instead Russian President Vladimir Putin’s push for a permanent peace agreement. That has not stopped some European leaders from pushing for a temporary truce first, even though the US president has seemingly decided one is not necessary.

Conquest of Ukrainian territory could embolden Vladimir Putin to invade elsewhere in Europe and step up attacks on Nato countries to test the alliance’s resolve, experts have told The i Paper. Securing territorial concessions could lead to Russia’s invasion of Moldova and its acceleration of hybrid attacks on the Baltic states After meeting Donald Trump in Alaska on Friday,

U.S. President Donald Trump has interrupted his talks in Washington with European leaders to call Russian President Vladimir Putin, an EU diplomat told Reuters on Monday.

The New York Times is reporting that President Donald Trump paused his meeting with Ukranian President Volodymr Zelenskyy and other European leaders to call Russian President Vladimir Putin. A senior White House official told NBC News that Trump "took President Putin’s phone call in the Oval Office.

President Trump said Tuesday that he didn’t call Russian President Vladimir Putin in front of the European leaders at the White House the day prior to avoid disrespecting the Russian leader. “I didn’t do it in front of them — I thought that would be disrespectful to President Putin.