Trump, Putin and Zelenskyy Hold Separate Calls as Ukraine War Diplomacy Continues
U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by phone for nearly 90 minutes on Saturday, according to Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov, who said Trump offered to help pursue a settlement to the war in Ukraine. The call came ahead of Trump’s planned attendance at next week’s NATO summit in Turkey and on the U.S. Independence Day holiday.
Ushakov described the discussion as “business-like and quite constructive” and said Trump repeated his readiness to seek a rapid end to the fighting. He said Russia continued to favour a political and diplomatic outcome, but one that reflects what Moscow calls its fundamental approach. Russia has said any settlement must include its full control over Ukraine’s Donbas region, a demand Kyiv rejects.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he also spoke with Trump and characterized their conversation as “very good.” He said they discussed conditions along the roughly 1,200-kilometre front line and agreed to continue talks during the NATO meeting. Zelenskyy said American determination would be important to any prospect of ending the war.
The latest diplomacy follows continuing battlefield and cross-border attacks. Russia recently launched large-scale missile and drone strikes on Kyiv, killing and injuring civilians, while Ukraine has intensified long-range drone attacks on Russian targets, particularly oil infrastructure, contributing to fuel shortages in some Russian regions. Ushakov accused Kyiv and European allies of seeking to prolong and escalate the conflict, allegations Ukraine and its partners have rejected in other contexts.
Moscow also claimed its forces captured Kostiantynivka in Donetsk region, a claim denied by Zelenskyy and Ukraine’s General Staff, who said Ukrainian forces remained in control. Ushakov said Trump’s envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, may continue efforts and could visit Moscow again. He added that Putin reiterated an open invitation for Trump to visit Russia amid Iran diplomacy.