US President Donald Trump has offered help in finding a solution to the war in Ukraine during a nearly 90-minute phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Kremlin said, as diplomatic efforts ramp up ahead of a NATO summit in Turkey next week.Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said Trump made the offer during a call held on Saturday, US Independence Day, and reaffirmed Washington’s willingness to work toward ending the conflict, according to Reuters. Trump also spoke separately with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who later described the conversation as “very good.”Ushakov said Trump “once again confirmed his readiness to work toward finding solutions to a rapid end to the fighting and recovery from the crisis.”He described the discussions as “professional and quite constructive”, while adding that Russia wants “a political-diplomatic solution to the conflict” that takes into account Moscow’s “fundamental positions”.
Putin, Zelensky offer conflicting battlefield stories
According to Reuters, during the call, Putin briefed Trump on the situation on the battlefield and claimed that Russian forces were “confidently moving forward, liberating one area after another”.The Russian leader’s comments came a day after Moscow claimed to have captured Kostiantynivka, a strategically important town in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region. However, Ukraine rejected this claim.Ukrainian military spokesman Andriy Kovalev said the city would remain under Kiev’s control, while Zelensky dismissed Russia’s claim as “just another Russian lie”, according to news agency AFP.Russia continues to insist that any deal should include Moscow taking full control of Ukraine’s Donbass region, a demand Kiev has repeatedly rejected.
Trump’s envoy will continue mediation efforts
Ushakov said Trump informed Putin that US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would continue efforts to broker a deal and that they were prepared to make another visit to Moscow.The Kremlin aide also said Putin hoped US diplomatic efforts related to the Iran conflict would help achieve “mutually acceptable long-term solutions” to broader international issues. Putin also reminded Trump that he had an open invitation to visit Moscow.Meanwhile, Zelensky said his discussions with Trump focused on the 1,200-kilometre border line and diplomatic efforts to end the conflict.According to Reuters, Zelensky wrote on Telegram, “There is a real possibility of ending this war and there would be a significant sense of American resolve.” He said the two leaders agreed to continue their discussions during the NATO summit.
NATO summit and stalled peace talks
Both Trump-Putin and Trump-Zelensky also marked the 250th anniversary of US independence and took place ahead of the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, where the leaders are expected to discuss the Ukraine war.Peace talks are stalled. Zelensky last month urged Putin to meet face-to-face to discuss ending the war, but the Russian president refused.On the battlefield, despite Moscow’s claims of territorial gains, fighting around Kostiantynivka remains intense, with Ukrainian forces maintaining defensive positions, while acknowledging that small Russian groups have infiltrated parts of the city.The city is considered a major gateway to the remaining Ukrainian-held strongholds of Kramatorsk and Sloviansk in the Donbass region.