US president Donald Trump had a 90-minute phone call with Russian president Vladimir Putin, during which the US leader offered to help find a solution to the Ukraine war, a Kremlin aide has said. The aide, Yuri Ushakov, said Trump made the offer during a call with Putin on Saturday in the context of Trump’s participation next week at a Nato summit in Turkey. “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 said. Ushakov described the conversation as “business-like and quite constructive” and said Russia sought “a political-diplomatic resolution of the conflict, with due account of Russia’s fundamental approach”.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he also spoke to president Trump. Writing on his Telegram account, he described the conversation as “very good”, including a discussion on the war’s 1,200km frontline. “There is a real prospect to end this war and American resolve will have a crucial meaning,” he said. Zelenskyy said he and Trump agreed to continue discussions at the upcoming Nato meeting. But Ushakov accused Kyiv and its European allies of “counting on extending and even escalating the conflict”, referring to Ukraine’s long-range strikes on Russian targets, mainly linked to the oil industry, which have triggered fuel shortages in several Russian regions.
