Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky separately held phone calls with U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday as he marked his 80th birthday, with the war in Ukraine expected to remain a key issue ahead of this week’s G7 summit.
Putin’s call with Trump lasted just under an hour, according to Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov, who briefed reporters afterward.
Ushakov said Trump stressed the need to end hostilities in Ukraine and expressed his willingness to press European allies and Kyiv on that goal, including during the upcoming G7 meeting.
Trump also said recent strikes on civilian targets in Russia were complicating efforts to reach a settlement, according to Ushakov. The White House has not confirmed that account or commented on the call.
Ushakov said Trump added that ending the war quickly could open the way to “a truly new quality of US-Russian relations.”
Putin, for his part, argued that Ukrainian attacks on Russian civilian infrastructure would not change the situation on the battlefield. He also said that if Zelensky wants to meet with him, “let him come to Moscow,” according to Ushakov.
U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner are expected to travel to Russia soon, Ushakov said.
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