00:00Hello, this is BBC News. I'm Catherine Byarahanga.
00:04President Trump says a second summit with the Russian President Vladimir Putin is on the cards
00:09after what he described as a very productive two-hour phone call with Mr Putin on the war in Ukraine.
00:16It's to be followed by a meeting next week between the two foreign ministers.
00:20And then, if all goes well, by face-to-face talks between the leaders in Hungary.
00:24The Hungarian President Viktor Orban said the meeting could take place two weeks from now.
00:31The call came on the eve of a visit to the White House by the Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky,
00:37who said on his arrival in Washington that Moscow was rushing to resume dialogue
00:42because of the threatened deployment of U.S. Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine.
00:47President Zelensky said he has now met with the Tomahawk's manufacturer.
00:51Here's our North America editor, Sarah Smith.
00:54I just heard of the phone call with President Putin. It was a very good call.
00:59After two and a half hours on the phone with President Putin,
01:02Donald Trump seems optimistic, again, about the prospect of peace in Ukraine,
01:07saying he believes great progress was made on that call.
01:10I thought it was a very good phone call. I thought it was very productive.
01:13But I'll be meeting with President Putin, and we'll make a determination.
01:18Tomorrow I'm meeting with President Zelensky, and I'll be telling him about the call.
01:23I mean, we have a problem. They don't get along too well, those two,
01:28and it's sometimes tough to have meetings.
01:31Rolling out the red carpet, quite literally, in Alaska for Vladimir Putin two months ago,
01:35did not produce any concessions from Moscow.
01:38Yet, after every interaction,
01:41Mr Trump always sounds much more favourable towards Putin.
01:44I think he wants to make a deal for me.
01:46Days later in the White House,
01:47he was overheard telling French President Macron
01:50he believes Putin does want to make a deal to end the war.
01:54Two months on, frustrated with Putin's empty promises,
01:58Donald Trump was on his way to the Middle East
01:59when he confirmed he was considering
02:01sending long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine
02:04that could hit targets inside Russia.
02:06If this war's not going to get settled,
02:08I'm going to send them Tomahawks.
02:10As I may say that,
02:11the Tomahawk is an incredible weapon,
02:14a very offensive weapon,
02:16and honestly, Russia does not need that.
02:19You're gambling with the lives of millions of people.
02:22You're gambling with World War III.
02:24You're gambling with World War III.
02:27After this disastrous bust-up in February,
02:30relations with President Zelenskyy have significantly improved.
02:34Thank you so much, Mr. President.
02:36If I can, first of all, thank you for your invitation
02:39and thank you very much for your efforts.
02:42When Zelenskyy hopes to be thanking President Trump
02:44for those Tomahawk missiles,
02:46then he'll be wondering if he's less likely to get them.
02:49President Zelenskyy posted on X saying,
02:51We can already see that Moscow is rushing to resume dialogue
02:54as soon as it hears about Tomahawks.
02:56There must be no alternative but peace
02:58and reliably guaranteed security.
03:01It's crucial to protect people from Russian strikes
03:03and assaults as soon as possible.
03:06Donald Trump relishes his reputation as a peacemaker.
03:10After celebrating a ceasefire agreement
03:12in the Middle East this week,
03:13he says he believes this success
03:15will help him negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine.
03:18Sarah Smith, BBC News, Washington.
03:21Well, let's go live to Kiev now
03:23and speak to our correspondents there, John Studworth.
03:25So, John, a fresh meeting between Presidents Trump and Putin
03:29now on the cards.
03:31What's the reaction there in Kiev to that?
03:33Well, just hours after the announcement was made
03:39that this summit was going to take place,
03:42after that phone call,
03:44Russia continued pounding this country
03:48with more attacks,
03:50a number of drone strikes,
03:52and in particular on Kivri-Ri,
03:55the home city of President Zelenskyy.
03:57And I think many Ukrainians will see in that
04:00a signal of Vladimir Putin's true appetite for peace.
04:05And in fact, those sentiments,
04:06I think we can read into
04:09some of President Zelenskyy's own comments
04:12since arriving in Washington.
04:14He's having to tread a careful line,
04:16of course, Catherine.
04:17He knows well the costs of being seen
04:20to criticise President Trump inside the White House.
04:24But nonetheless, the optimism he felt before this visit,
04:28I think, has diminished a little.
04:30The likelihood of him getting those Tomahawk missiles
04:33that he was so hoping for,
04:35I think you have to conclude as being called further into question.
04:39And, you know, in the past few hours,
04:42he has posted this on social media.
04:45Russia's true readiness for peace lies not in words,
04:48Putin was never short of those, he said,
04:51but in actually stopping the killings.
04:54Frustration from him, I think,
04:55that at the time he feels Russia needs punishing
04:58with further military action,
05:00it's being rewarded with more symmetry.
05:02John, thank you.
05:03That's our correspondent John Sadworth in Kiev there.
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