During a phone call on Tuesday, former President Donald Trump told Russian President Vladimir Putin that he wants a swift end to the war in Ukraine, which he believes would allow for the full restoration of US-Russia ties. The Kremlin stated that Putin supported this view.
The hour-long call followed a weekend visit to Moscow and Kyiv by US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who are attempting to revive stalled negotiations aimed at ending the fighting. While their weekend diplomacy did not lead to an immediate public breakthrough, it raised the possibility of resuming three-way talks between Russia, Ukraine, and the United States.
Although the Kremlin has previously stated it does not rule out such talks, its official readout of the call did not mention them. Instead, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters that both leaders rated the envoys’ weekend diplomacy positively. Putin also provided Trump with an assessment of the current battlefield situation and shared his views on what the United States could do to help resolve the conflict.
Ushakov stated that Trump made it clear he wants the war resolved as quickly as possible. “Donald Trump strongly emphasized the desirability of bringing the conflict to an end as soon as possible, which would immediately open up impressive and far-reaching prospects for the full restoration of relations between the United States and Russia,” Ushakov remarked.
According to Ushakov, Trump believes this would significantly impact trade and economic relations, promising enormous benefits for both nations. Trump is eager to see a breakthrough achieved during his presidency, a stance that Putin supported.
Russia and Ukraine remain far apart on how to end the war, the deadliest conflict in Europe since World War II, with both sides having escalated their attacks against each other in recent months.
Russia pounds Kyiv, ending three-day halt for US talks
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Prior to the envoys’ trip, a source close to the Kremlin indicated that Putin remains intent on securing full control over the remainder of the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine, a goal that Kyiv has vowed to fiercely oppose using every weapon at its disposal.
Ushakov, who noted that both leaders agreed on the need to continue prisoner exchanges, declined to provide further details about their discussion. However, he described the conversation as constructive and stated that both leaders agreed to remain in touch and speak by phone again if the need arose.
He added that Putin told Trump that Russia has no hostile intentions toward Europe, despite repeated claims to the contrary by various European politicians.
“In light of speculation regarding Russia’s alleged hostile intentions toward European states, it was emphasized that we have absolutely no aggressive plans whatsoever toward Europe,” Ushakov stated.
“The myths being spread about the Russian threat merely serve as a pretext for Europeans to ramp up their support for Ukraine and their own military spending,” he added.
(FRANCE 24 with Reuters)
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