Putin, Zelensky speak with Trump by phone as drone strikes kill 2 in Russia and UK detains tanker
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky each spoke by phone with US President Donald Trump on Sunday, as Trump marked his 80th birthday and the war in Ukraine remained a flashpoint ahead of this week’s G7 summit.
Putin’s call with Trump lasted just under an hour, according to Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov, who briefed reporters afterward.
On Ukraine, Ushakov said Trump emphasized the need to end hostilities and stated his readiness to influence European allies and Kyiv toward that goal, including at the upcoming G7 summit.
Trump also said that recent strikes on civilian targets in Russia complicate a settlement — though the White House has not confirmed that, nor commented on the call — and said that ending the war quickly could open the door to “a truly new quality of US-Russian relations,” Ushakov quoted him as saying.
