Daijiworld Media Network – Washington
Washington, Jul 5: US President Donald Trump held a nearly 90-minute telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, offering to help find a solution to the Ukraine war, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said on Sunday.
According to Ushakov, Trump made the offer during the call on Saturday, coinciding with US Independence Day, ahead of his participation in the upcoming NATO summit in Turkey next week.
"The American president once again confirmed his readiness to work towards a rapid end to the fighting and find solutions to overcome the crisis," Ushakov said, describing the conversation as "business-like and quite constructive."
He said Russia remained committed to pursuing a political and diplomatic resolution to the conflict while taking into account what Moscow described as its fundamental interests.
Ushakov also accused Ukraine and its European allies of seeking to prolong and escalate the conflict through attacks on civilian targets. He was referring to Ukraine's long-range strikes on Russian facilities, particularly oil-related infrastructure, which have caused fuel shortages in several Russian regions.
According to the Kremlin aide, Putin briefed Trump on the battlefield situation, claiming that Russian forces were continuing to make advances and capture new settlements. Russian military commanders had informed Putin on Friday that Moscow's troops had taken the strategically significant city of Kostiantynivka in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region. However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the country's General Staff rejected the claim, maintaining that Ukrainian forces remained in control of the city.
Russia has maintained that any peace settlement must include full Russian control over Ukraine's Donbas region, a demand Kyiv has consistently rejected. Zelenskyy had last month proposed a direct meeting with Putin, but the Kremlin declined the offer.
Ushakov said Trump indicated that US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would continue efforts to broker a peace agreement and were prepared to visit Moscow again. He added that Putin expressed hope that US diplomatic engagement in the Iran conflict would help achieve mutually acceptable long-term solutions on key issues.
During the conversation, Putin also renewed his invitation for Trump to visit Moscow, Ushakov said.
Separately, Zelenskyy confirmed that he had also spoken with Trump, describing the conversation as "very good." Writing on Telegram, the Ukrainian leader said they discussed developments along the 1,200-km frontline and prospects for ending the war.
"There is a real prospect to end this war and American resolve will have a crucial meaning," Zelenskyy said, adding that he and Trump agreed to continue discussions during the NATO summit.