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September 9, 2026 / 4:02 PM EDT
/ CBS News
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Washington — President Trump on Wednesday said he had a "great conversation" with Russian President Vladimir Putin, repeating his claim that he thinks the Russian leader wants to make a deal to end the war in Ukraine.The phone call, which the Russians said took place Tuesday, came after top Trump envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff met with Putin in Moscow and with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv over the weekend. "We had a great conversation," Mr. Trump said Wednesday on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews. "He is wanting to make a deal. And if Zelenskyy is wanting to make a deal, that would be very nice."Mr. Trump has repeatedly said he thinks Putin wants to strike a deal to end the fighting, although the Russians could remove troops and relinquish territory at any point. A reporter asked the president what the holdup is. "The holdup is two people that hate each other," the president said. "I think more than anything else, it's two people that hate each other." The White House did not release a summary of the call or confirm that it took place, leaving the Russians to provide the only official account of the conversation.According to the Russian readout, Mr. Trump told Putin that ending the conflict would immediately open up the possibility for the full restoration of Russia-U.S. relations, and that he's interested in reaching a breakthrough in resolving the conflict during his presidency.
