Star Metro - Trump says Putin plans to retaliate for Ukraine attack on bombers

Kyiv's daring strikes on Russian airfields Sunday destroyed several nuclear-capable aircraft worth billions of dollars, and dominated the third call between the Russian and US presidents since Trump returned to power.

Putin had earlier appeared to rule out a ceasefire or any direct talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Turkey has suggested it could host such negotiations and invited Trump too.

"President Putin did say, and very strongly, that he will have to respond to the recent attack on the airfields," Trump said in a post on his Truth Social network, after a call that he said lasted an hour and 15 minutes.

"It was a good conversation, but not a conversation that will lead to immediate Peace."

The Kremlin described the call, which also focused on negotiations over Iran's nuclear program, as "positive" and "productive", adding that Trump had told Putin that Washington was not informed in advance about the drone strikes.

But Zelensky urged Ukraine's allies not to show "weakness" over the Russian president's threats of retaliation.

"When he feels neither strength nor pressure, but weakness, he commits yet more crimes," Zelensky said in an online post.

- 'Why reward them?' -

Trump made no mention of whether he had warned Putin off retaliating against US ally Ukraine, which Russia invaded in February 2022, sparking a grinding war.

The US president has repeatedly alarmed Kyiv and its supporters in Europe and elsewhere by pivoting towards Putin, and he had a blazing Oval Office row with Zelensky in February.

Trump has however also shown growing frustration with Putin -- last week calling him "crazy" -- as Russia has continued attacks and derailed Trump's campaign pledge to end the war within 24 hours.

Putin's call with Trump appeared to be part of a diplomatic offensive, with the Russian leader also speaking with Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday.

The Vatican said the US-born pontiff had pressed Putin during the call to make a "gesture that favors peace". Pope Leo has previously offered to host Ukraine peace talks.

The Kremlin said Putin had told the pope he wanted peace through diplomacy but accused Kyiv of "carrying out of acts of sabotage against civil infrastructure on Russian territory."

Putin earlier accused Ukraine of being behind "terrorist" attacks on bridges in its border regions over the weekend, including one that caused a train to derail, killing seven people.

He said any full ceasefire would just give Kyiv a chance to rearm.

"Why reward them by giving them a break from the combat, which will be used to pump the regime with Western arms, to continue their forced mobilization and to prepare different terrorist acts," Putin said in a televised government meeting.

Ukraine has been pushing for an unconditional and immediate 30-day truce, issuing its latest proposal to Moscow at peace talks in Istanbul on Monday.

- 'Ultimatum' -

Zelensky said earlier Wednesday that Russia had handed Ukraine an "ultimatum" and recycled old demands in Turkey, where the only concrete agreement was on a series of large-scale prisoner exchanges.

Moscow's demands included Ukraine fully pulling out of four regions -- Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia -- that Russia claims to have annexed but does not have full control over.

Zelensky said Ukraine was ready "any day" for a meeting proposed by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that would also include the US and Russian leaders.

The White House says Trump is "open" to such a meeting.

More than three years into Russia's invasion, which has cost tens of thousands of lives, the two sides have opened direct talks searching for a way to end what has become Europe's largest conflict since World War II.

Ukrainian troops have been suffering months of setbacks on the battlefield.

Russia's army said it had captured another village in Ukraine's Sumy border region as it seeks to establish what it calls a "buffer zone" inside Ukrainian territory.

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T.Murray--SMC