Russian President Vladimir Putin and United States President Donald Trump held on Tuesday a phone conversation lasting exactly one hour, described by the Kremlin as "constructive and frank." The contact occurred after the recent mission of American special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Moscow and Kyiv over the weekend. This was the first conversation between the two leaders since July 4.
Trump focused the conversation on trying to obtain a quick end to the Ukraine war, expressing that an immediate end to the conflict would immediately open the way for the full restoration of relations between the USA and Russia. The American president also expressed his interest in seeing progress during his term, which ends in January 2029.
Putin, for his part, presented to Trump what he called a "realistic assessment" of the situation on the battlefield, described Russia's military objectives and explained what the United States could do to help end the conflict that has been going on for four and a half years. The Russian leader again guaranteed that Moscow has no aggressive plans regarding Europe.
The two sides agreed to continue working on humanitarian issues, including prisoner exchanges, and to maintain contact. Observers note that the underlying positions of Moscow and Kyiv remain far apart, especially regarding territorial issues such as the Donbas. Zelensky stated that the war will likely continue through the winter months and that Ukraine is preparing for a new wave of Russian attacks on energy infrastructure, while reports indicate that Kyiv would be ready to make concessions for Russia to stop attacking ports and energy infrastructure.
