MOSCOW: US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a telephone conversation on Saturday to discuss the war in Ukraine ahead of next week’s NATO summit in Turkiye, with Moscow saying Trump reiterated his willingness to help bring about an early end to the conflict.
Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov said the call lasted about 85 to 90 minutes. He said Putin congratulated Trump and the American people on the 250th anniversary of US independence and briefed the US president on the situation on the battlefield.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also held a separate telephone conversation with President Trump on Saturday to discuss the war in Ukraine.
The calls came as heads of state and government from NATO’s 32 member countries prepare to gather in Ankara from Tuesday for the alliance’s summit, where continued support for Ukraine is expected to be a key item on the agenda.
The Kremlin’s foreign policy aide Ushakov said the two leaders discussed efforts to resolve the conflict in Ukraine, taking into account Trump’s planned participation in the NATO summit.
They also exchanged views on Iran and the broader Middle East, according to Russia’s RIA Novosti news agency.
The Russian Foreign Ministry described the conversation as “businesslike and highly constructive”. It said Trump reaffirmed his readiness to facilitate “the earliest possible cessation of hostilities” in Ukraine.
According to Ushakov, Putin told Trump that Russian forces were advancing “confidently” on the battlefield. He also said Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner were prepared to visit Moscow at a mutually convenient time.
CNN reported that it had contacted the White House for comment on the conversation.
Zelensky speaks with Trump
Earlier on Saturday, Zelensky said he had also spoken with Trump and congratulated him on the US Independence Day anniversary.
In a post on X, the Ukrainian president described the exchange as a “very good phone call”.
“President Trump and I discussed the current situation on the frontline as well as our diplomatic efforts. There is a real prospect to put an end to this war, and America’s resolve is decisive,” Zelensky wrote.
He said the two leaders had agreed to continue their discussions during the NATO summit in Ankara.
In a separate social media post, Zelensky also said there was “a real prospect to put an end to this war”.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry said Moscow continued to favour a political and diplomatic settlement to the conflict. It also claimed that Ukraine and its European allies were seeking to prolong and escalate the war.
This weekend, Moscow claimed its forces had captured the town of Kostyantynivka in Ukraine’s Donetsk region, describing it as an important milestone.
The Ukrainian military, however, told CNN that although small groups of Russian soldiers had entered parts of the town.
A Ukrainian military unit operating in the area released a video from the town and described Russia’s claim as disinformation intended to create the impression of battlefield success.
Zelensky also rejected the Russian claim, calling it “just another Russian lie”.
