The war in Ukraine was the focus of a phone conversation lasting about an hour between U.S. President Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. Kremlin Foreign Policy Adviser Yury Ushakov said Trump had made clear that ending the conflict soon was desirable.
Ushakov said Trump viewed ending the war as an opportunity to completely rebuild relations between the United States and Russia. According to the Kremlin adviser, Trump also emphasized that developing trade and economic ties between the two countries could bring significant benefits.
Ushakov said Trump wanted to achieve a breakthrough during his term in office and added that Putin supported this approach to rebuilding relations.
The Kremlin said Putin gave Trump a comprehensive assessment of the current front line and outlined his views on achieving the war’s objectives. Putin continues to demand the complete withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from the parts of the Donetsk region that remain under Ukrainian control as a condition for peace, while the Kyiv government rejects the demand.
The phone call took place after Trump’s special envoys, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, visited Moscow and Kyiv. Ushakov said the two leaders viewed the diplomatic initiatives positively and that Putin continued to praise Trump’s mediation efforts.
Ushakov also said the two leaders discussed several concrete steps the United States could take to accelerate the end of the war. Although Ushakov said details and important nuances would not be disclosed because the conversation was private, the White House did not immediately confirm that Trump and Putin had spoken by phone.
