Alexander Sullivan:
U.S. President Donald Trump has renewed efforts to help end the Russia-Ukraine war, offering to assist Russian President Vladimir Putin in finding a political solution during a nearly 90-minute phone call held on Saturday, according to the Kremlin.
Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov said the conversation focused on the ongoing conflict ahead of the NATO summit in Ankara, scheduled for July 7–8. Ushakov described the discussion as “businesslike and quite constructive,” adding that Trump reaffirmed his willingness to work toward “a rapid end to the fighting” while Russia maintained its preference for a political and diplomatic resolution. He also said U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner remained prepared to continue mediation efforts and could visit Moscow again.
The call came as fighting continued across the war’s 1,200-kilometer (745-mile) front line. Russia claimed its forces had captured the strategically important city of Kostiantynivka in Ukraine’s Donetsk region, a claim that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Ukraine’s military rejected, insisting the city remains under Ukrainian control.
Later on Saturday, Zelenskyy confirmed that he also spoke with Trump. In a message on Telegram, he said the two leaders discussed the battlefield situation and agreed to continue talks during the upcoming NATO summit. The renewed diplomatic engagement highlights continued international efforts to seek a negotiated resolution, even as military operations and competing narratives persist on the ground.
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