A top Kremlin aide revealed early Sunday that U.S. President Donald Trump reached out to Russian leader Vladimir Putin in a phone call lasting close to an hour and a half, during which Trump expressed his willingness to help bring the Ukraine conflict to an end.
Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said Trump made the offer in connection with his upcoming appearance at the NATO summit scheduled to take place 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 stated.
Ushakov added that Russia is seeking “a political-diplomatic resolution of the conflict, with due account of Russia’s fundamental approach.”
The Kremlin aide also leveled accusations at Ukraine and its European partners, claiming they were “counting on extending and even escalating the conflict, and on terrorism against civilians.” He was referring to Ukraine’s long-range strikes on targets inside Russia, most of which have been connected to the oil industry.
Ushakov said Trump indicated that Washington’s envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, would continue their efforts to negotiate a settlement and were ready to make another trip to Moscow.
According to Ushakov, Putin “depicted the real situation on the battlefield where the Russian armed forces are confidently advancing, liberating one locality after another.”
Russian military commanders informed Putin on Friday that troops had seized the strategically significant city of Kostiantynivka in eastern Ukraine. However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Ukraine’s General Staff pushed back on that claim Saturday, insisting that their forces remained in control of the city.
