President Donald Trump urged Vladimir Putin to end the war against Ukraine during an hour-long telephone call on Tuesday, according to the Kremlin, which said the US president presented a swift settlement as a route towards restored diplomatic ties and expanded economic relations between Washington and Moscow.
The White House did not immediately confirm that the two leaders had spoken. The Kremlin’s account was given by its foreign policy adviser, Yury Ushakov, who described the conversation as “constructive and frank”.
“Donald Trump clearly conveyed the idea that an early end to the conflict would be desirable,” Ushakov told reporters. He said Trump was interested in securing “a breakthrough during his presidency”.
According to Ushakov, Trump said an end to the war could “immediately open impressive and large-scale prospects for the full restoration” of US-Russian relations. Trump also stressed the “enormous benefits” that could come from developing trade and economic ties between the two countries, Ushakov said.
The call followed weekend visits to Moscow and Kyiv by Trump’s special envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff. Ushakov said the two presidents viewed that diplomatic outreach positively. A Kremlin aide, Yuri Ushakov, said the leaders rated the envoys’ weekend diplomacy “with a plus sign”.
The Kremlin said the discussion set out “specific measures” the US could take to speed an end to the war. It did not describe those measures. Ushakov said Putin gave Trump an “objective and thorough analysis” of the current battlefield situation and set out his views on achieving the war’s objectives.
Putin supported Trump’s desire for a swift end to the conflict, the Kremlin said. It also said Putin told Trump that Russia had “no hostile plans” towards Europe.
The Kremlin said it did not rule out three-way talks involving Russia, Ukraine and the United States. It gave no indication that such talks had been arranged or would resume. The two leaders also agreed on the need to continue prisoner exchanges and to stay in contact, with further calls possible.
The Kremlin’s account pointed to a possible opening in diplomacy while leaving central disputes unresolved. Putin continues to demand the complete withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the unoccupied parts of eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region as a condition for peace.
Fighting continued as the call took place. Russia resumed attacks on Kyiv with drones and missiles on Tuesday after a three-day pause linked to the US envoys’ visit, according to Ukrainian authorities. The attacks killed five people and injured dozens, the authorities said.
Trump’s direct appeal to Putin followed the preliminary contacts undertaken by Kushner and Witkoff in Moscow and Kyiv. The Kremlin’s account presented Putin as receptive to a rapid settlement, though it did not indicate whether Trump’s proposals on relations and trade would alter Russia’s position on ceasefire terms or territorial demands.
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