United States President Donald Trump spoke by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin as the White House increases efforts to negotiate a peace deal in Ukraine. The call occurred after US special envoys traveled to Russia and Ukraine to discuss a proposal to end the war.
On Tuesday, Yury Ushakov, Putin’s foreign affairs adviser, described the conversation as "constructive and quite frank," lasting an hour. Ushakov stated that Putin discussed the ongoing war in Ukraine and Russia’s military objectives. He noted that Putin emphasized Russia does not have aggressive plans regarding Europe, countering concerns about potential future attacks on NATO members.
The White House did not respond to Al Jazeera’s request for comment on the call. This phone conversation followed meetings held by US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff with Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, discussing what Trump referred to as a proposal to end the war, which has been described as Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II.
Ushakov reported that Trump and Putin exchanged views on the outcomes of the envoys' visits, mentioning that some "very good, worthwhile ideas" were presented. Zelenskyy expressed gratitude to Trump for allowing the US delegation to visit Ukraine amid ongoing fighting, which had briefly paused for negotiations.
Despite the meetings being positively received, no significant breakthroughs were reported in efforts to end the conflict. Following a temporary truce, both sides resumed military actions. Ukrainian officials reported that Russian attacks on Tuesday morning resulted in at least five civilian deaths and 25 injuries in Kyiv. Russian officials reported three fatalities and 13 injuries in the Bryansk and Kursk regions, while Ukrainian attacks on Crimea reportedly killed approximately five people.
The war began in February 2022 when Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Trump has prioritized ending the conflict as part of his second administration campaign, initially claiming he could achieve a settlement within 24 hours, a statement he later described as an exaggeration. Trump has attributed the depletion of US munitions stocks to Ukraine, although critics cite US actions against Iran as a contributing factor.
While Trump has had a complicated relationship with Ukraine and its president, he has maintained a close rapport with Putin, stating they have faced many challenges together. Last year, Trump invited Putin to Alaska for his first visit to the US since 2015. The Trump administration has faced scrutiny for attempting to resolve the Ukraine conflict without fully engaging Ukrainian and European officials. Trump and Zelenskyy are expected to meet later this month, according to Ukrainian officials.