Sawt Falasteen - Ukraine's Zelensky hopes to push Trump on US Russia sanctions at G7

In two rounds of negotiations in Istanbul, Moscow and Kyiv have so far only agreed large-scale prisoner exchanges, with Russia rejecting calls to halt its three-year invasion.

Trump has urged both sides to strike a peace deal and shown increasing frustration with both Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin for not having found a way to end the war.

He has at times threatened new sanctions on Russia, which has ramped up its aerial attacks during the talks, but has so far failed to follow through.

"I count on having a conversation" with Trump at the G7, Zelensky said at a press conference in Kyiv.

"This sanctions package is very important... the final decision is still in the White House, it depends on the President of the United States," he added.

US Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a close Trump ally, is pushing what he calls a bipartisan "bone-breaking" bill to introduce a 500-percent tariff on countries buying Russian oil and gas, mostly targeting China and India.

- 'Appeasement' -

Tens of thousands have been killed since Russia invaded in February 2022, with millions forced to flee their homes as towns and cities across eastern Ukraine have been flattened by heavy bombardments.

Trump's return to the White House has upended the West's vital aid for Kyiv.

Europe has been left scrambling to see how it could fill any gap if he decides to pull US military, financial and intelligence support.

German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius appeared to deliver a blow to those plans during a visit to Kyiv on Thursday.

Speaking alongside Zelensky, he said Berlin was not planning to deliver Taurus long-range missiles to Ukraine.

"Asked whether we are considering this, my answer is no," he told a reporter of the possibility of sending the missiles, which could allow Ukraine to strike deep into Russian territory.

Instead, Pistorius announced 1.9 billion euros ($2.2 billion) in additional military aid.

The setback came just after Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga told a security conference in Rome that the "diplomacy of appeasement does not work with Russia" -- a veiled reference to Trump's soft approach towards Putin.

"We want to end this war this year," he said.

Russia has been advancing on the battlefield for months and launched record drone strikes at Ukraine in recent days.

Two civilians were killed in the frontline Donetsk region in a drone strike on Thursday, Ukrainian officials said.

Kyiv has responded to Russian bombardments with its own wave of drone strikes.

In Russia's Belgorod region bordering Ukraine, a two-year-old child was killed following one such attack, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on Telegram.

- POW swap -

The warring sides completed the latest stage of a prisoner swap on Thursday, freeing wounded soldiers in line with a deal struck at talks in Istanbul.

"Today, warriors of our Armed Forces, National Guard, and Border Guard Service are back home," Zelensky said on social media.

The two sides agreed to each free more than 1,000 prisoners of war -- all wounded or under the age of 25 -- and return the bodies of killed soldiers.

Zelensky published pictures of the Ukrainian servicemen, all with freshly shaved heads, draped in national flags and smiling as they made phone calls and hugged people welcoming them at the border.

"They all require medical treatment," as they were "severely wounded and seriously ill", Zelensky added.

At the exchange, AFP reporters saw dozens of people -- mostly women -- waiting with pictures of their captured or missing relatives, hoping the freed soldiers could offer news about them.

Russian state media showed Moscow's returned troops in uniforms chanting "Russia, Russia" with national flags around their shoulders.

Russia later accused Ukraine of not being "ready to conduct exchanges" on a daily basis, as it said the two sides had agreed at the Istanbul talks.

Kyiv said further swaps would take place in the coming days.

P.AbuBaker--SF-PST