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Russian President Vladimir Putin has turned down US President Donald Trump’s proposal to host the next round of Russia-Ukraine peace talks at the Vatican, despite earlier interest from Pope Leo XIV. The idea, floated by the Pope and publicly endorsed by Trump, now appears to be off the table after resistance from the Kremlin.“The Russians didn’t want to go there,” said Special Envoy Keith Kellogg during an appearance on Fox & Friends on Tuesday (May 27). He suggested Geneva could be a potential alternative for future negotiations.Peace process stalls as Russia delays responseThe timeline for a new round of talks remains uncertain. Russia has yet to formally respond to the US-backed peace framework, with its foreign ministry stating Tuesday that it was still “working on its memorandum of terms.”Trump: “Putin is playing with fire”Taking to Truth Social, Trump warned Putin not to miscalculate his resolve.”What Vladimir Putin doesn’t realize is that if it weren’t for me, lots of really bad things would have already happened to Russia, and I mean REALLY BAD,” Trump posted. “He’s playing with fire!”Trump’s remarks reflect growing frustration as tensions mount following Russia’s most aggressive drone attack yet in its war against Ukraine.Zelensky: “Moscow is playing games”Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also weighed in, accusing Moscow of sabotaging diplomacy with intensified violence. The Kremlin launched its largest drone and missile strike to date on Sunday, reportedly using 335 drones and nine cruise missiles to target Ukrainian cities.“They are playing games while our people suffer,” Zelensky said.Trump: “Putin has gone CRAZY”The scale of the attack prompted a scathing response from Trump.“I’ve always had a very good relationship with Vladimir Putin of Russia, but something has happened to him,” Trump wrote.“He has gone absolutely CRAZY! He is needlessly killing a lot of people, and I’m not just talking about soldiers. Missiles and drones are being shot into cities in Ukraine, for no reason whatsoever.”Trump went further, warning: “If he attempts to take all of Ukraine… it will lead to the downfall of Russia.”Kremlin: Trump is being “emotional”The Kremlin quickly pushed back against Trump’s remarks. Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov acknowledged Trump’s role in launching talks but brushed off his latest statements.“We are really grateful to the Americans and to President Trump personally for their assistance in organizing and launching this negotiation process,” Peskov said, according to Reuters.“This is a very crucial moment, which is associated, of course, with the emotional overload of everyone absolutely and with emotional reactions,” he added.As diplomatic efforts stall and violence intensifies, the next steps in the peace process remain unclear.
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