President Donald Trump held a high-stakes call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday, the latest in a series of high-level meetings and negotiations as the Trump administration and international allies seek an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Trump, who returned from his Middle East trip on Friday, is expected to continue pushing Congress to pass his “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” which narrowly passed a House committee vote on Sunday.
Latest Developments
May 20, 12:04 AM
Senate confirms Charles Kushner as ambassador to France and Monaco
The Senate on Monday confirmed Charles Kushner to serve as the ambassador to France and Monaco.
Kushner was confirmed by a vote of 51-45.
President Donald Trump announced his intention to nominate Kushner to the position in November, calling him a “tremendous business leader, philanthropist, & dealmaker, who will be a strong advocate representing our Country & its interests,” in a statement on Truth Social.
Kushner was pardoned by Trump during the president’s first term for crimes including federal tax evasion and FEC violations. Kushner pleaded guilty in 2005 to 18 counts and served two years in prison.
When Kushner appeared before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee earlier this month for his hearing on the position, Kushner told the panel he had made “very, very, very serious mistakes.”
But he told the committee he believed his mistakes made him “better with my judgment, better in my view of life, better in my values to really make me more qualified to do this job.”
Kushner is the father of Trump’s son-in-law and former advisor, Jared Kushner.
-ABC News’ Allison Pecorin
May 19, 10:06 PM
Trump calls Putin a ‘nice gentleman’ after diplomatic call
President Donald Trump discussed his call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday during a dinner for the board members of the Kennedy Center at the White House.
Trump referred to the Russian leader as “a nice gentleman named Vladimir Putin.”
“We had a good talk, and I think that progress is being made,” Trump said, adding, “5,000 young soldiers are being killed every single week on average. Can you believe 5,000 and it’s actually a number probably worse than that, in addition to other people that are being killed in towns, and we’re trying to stop it, it’s a bloodbath. It’s an absolute bloodbath.”
Following the call, Trump told reporters at the Oval Office on Monday that he remained confident that a deal between Russia and Ukraine would be reached soon.
Read more about the diplomatic call here.
-ABC News’ Michelle Stoddart
May 19, 9:49 PM
Senate takes key step in advancing cryptocurrency regulation bill
The Senate voted Monday evening to advance a high-stakes bill aimed at regulating certain forms of cryptocurrency.
Congress has never successfully implemented regulations around cryptocurrency of any kind. But Monday’s vote, which comes after a series of fits and starts, marks a major step forward in advancing the GENIUS Act, a bill that aims to create a regulatory framework for stablecoins, a sort of cryptocurrency whose value is typically tied to the U.S. dollar or a similar financial asset.
The Senate advanced the bill by a vote of 66-32, bringing back a key coalition of Democrats who previously voted against advancing this bill when it came up last week.
Majority Leader John Thune told reporters Monday evening that a final vote on the bill could potentially float into early June, after the Senate’s Memorial Day recess.
-ABC News’ Allison Pecorin
May 19, 7:17 PM
3 fallen officers awarded 1st-ever Medal of Sacrifice
Trump awarded the first-ever Medal of Sacrifice for fallen law enforcement officers and first responders on Monday to three Florida deputies who were killed when they were struck by an SUV while working to restore one of their motorcycles on the shoulder of the road.
Cpl. Luis Paez Jr., Deputy Sheriff Ignacio “Dan” Diaz and Deputy Sheriff Ralph “Butch” Waller Jr. from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office were posthumously honored Monday at a ceremony in the Oval Office. Family members and law enforcement representing each of the victims accepted the awards on their behalf.
“In one way, it’s very sad, but we properly respect the ones that have lost their lives today,” Trump said. “We also remember three remarkable heroes who will become the medals’ first-ever recipients. It’s a big honor.”
Eric Trump, who the president said was heavily involved in making the medals become a reality, said the idea came to him while at a service for the officers.
“My father and I attended that funeral that day, and I can’t tell you how moving that experience was. I can’t tell you how moving that experience was. And one simple question was asked: Why is there no medal — Medal of Valor or Medal of Sacrifice — that commemorates law enforcement officers, first responders who have fallen in the line of duty?” Eric Trump said.
-ABC News’ Michelle Stoddart
May 19, 5:28 PM
Trump says ‘of course’ he talked to Putin about potential meeting
President Trump, at an event in the Oval Office, took several questions about his phone call earlier Monday with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Asked if he asked Putin to meet over Ukraine, Trump said responded: “Yeah, of course I did. I talked to him about it. I said, ‘When are we going to end this, Vladimir?'”
“I had known for a long time now,” Trump continued. “I said, ‘When are we going to end this bloodshed, this this bloodbath?’ It’s a bloodbath. And, I do believe he wants to end it.”
Trump was pressed on if he stood by his earlier comments that nothing would happen until he and Putin got together, given no major breakthroughs as a result of Monday’s hourslong call.
“I think something’s going to happen,” Trump said. “It’s a very, very big egos involved, I tell you, big egos involved. But I think something’s going to happen. And if it doesn’t, I just back away and they’re going to have to keep going again. This is a European situation. It should have remained a European situation.”
May 19, 3:44 PM
Trump says ‘some progress’ made with Putin after phone call
President Donald Trump briefly spoke about his hourslong phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin at a bill signing ceremony in the White House Rose Garden.
“We just spent 2.5 hours talking to Vladimir Putin, and I think some progress has been made,” Trump said. “It’s a terrible situation going on over there.”
“So, hopefully we — we did something,” Trump added. “We also spoke to the heads of most of the European nations. And, we’re trying to get that whole thing wrapped up. What a shame that it ever started in the first place.”
Read more about the highly-anticipated diplomatic call here.
May 19, 3:50 PM
President Trump, Melania Trump team up at ‘Take it Down Act’ signing ceremony
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump teamed up on Monday for the signing of the “Take it Down Act” — a bipartisan bill aimed at cracking down on the nonconsensual sharing of sexually explicit videos and photos, including deepfakes generated by artificial intelligence.
Melania Trump, in remarks in the Rose Garden, called the bill’s signing a “national victory that will help parents and families protect children from online exploitation.”
“Artificial Intelligence and social media are the digital candy for the next generation: sweet, addictive and engineered to have an impact on the cognitive development of our children,” she said. “But unlike sugar, these new technologies can be weaponized, shape beliefs, and sadly affect emotions, and even be deadly.”
The first lady thanked her husband “for standing with us on this effort” and said she’s calling on the Federal Trade Commission and the private sector to do their part next on this issue. Her support for the bill is part of her “Be Best” campaign, an initiative launched during President Trump’s first term that is focused on children’s well-being.
“With the rise of AI image generation, countless women have been harassed with deep thanks and other explicit images distributed against their will. This is the wrong and it’s just so horribly wrong, and it’s a very abusive situation … and today we’re making it totally illegal,” President Trump said in his own remarks.
May 19, 9:52 AM
Vance gave Pope Leo an invitation from Trump to visit the White House
Vice President JD Vance, while in Rome for Pope Leo XIV’s inaugural mass, “passed along a letter to the Pope from the president and from the first lady extending their warm wishes and inviting them to the White House as soon as they possibly can come,” according to the White House.
May 19, 9:38 AM
Trump ‘open’ to speaking with Biden following former president’s cancer diagnosis
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked on Monday if President Donald Trump has spoken to former President Joe Biden directly following Biden’s prostate cancer diagnosis.
“Not to my knowledge, I don’t believe they have spoken, but I’m sure the president would be open to doing that,” Leavitt said. “I spoke to him last night about the former president’s cancer diagnosis and the statement that he put out was the initial reaction he had with me on the phone as well.”
Trump wrote on his conservative social media platform on Sunday, “Melania and I are saddened to hear about Joe Biden’s recent medical diagnosis. We extend our warmest and best wishes to Jill and the family, and we wish Joe a fast and successful recovery.”
May 19, 9:32 AM
Trump will speak with Zelenskyy after Putin call
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, at Monday morning’s briefing, told reporters the public can expect to hear from President Donald Trump or the White House following his calls today regarding the Russia-Ukraine war.
Trump will be speaking with Russia’s Vladimir Putin at 10 a.m. ET. Leavitt said Trump is planning to call Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy immediately after that conversation.
“I don’t want to get ahead of those very important conversations, but of course you will hear directly from the president or me after those calls conclude today, so you can expect that,” she said.
ABC News Senior Political Correspondent Rachel Scott pressed Leavitt if Trump would set a new deadline for peace talks on the call, but Leavitt repeated she wouldn’t speak ahead of Trump on any specific timeline.
“His goal is to see a ceasefire and to see this conflict come to an end, and he’s grown weary and frustrated with both sides of the conflict,” she said.
Asked if Trump is open to meeting with Putin, Leavitt said she believed Trump “would certainly be open to that but let’s see how this call goes today.”
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