Kremlin Says Putin And Trump Held ‘Extremely Frank’ Call On Ukraine War
The Russian and US presidents discussed the outcome of recent visits by Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Moscow and Kyiv.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump held an “extremely frank” phone call on Tuesday following visits by US envoys to Moscow and Kyiv, the Kremlin said, as Washington and Moscow continued discussions over the four-and-a-half-year war in Ukraine.
Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters, that the one-hour conversation focused on the outcome of the weekend visits by Steve Witkoff, a business ally of Trump, and Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law.
Witkoff and Kushner visited the Russian and Ukrainian capitals over the weekend, holding talks with Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
During Tuesday’s call, Putin and Trump “exchanged views on the outcome of the visits,” Ushakov said.
The discussions produced no immediate breakthrough in the war, described as Europe’s bloodiest conflict since World War II.
Ushakov said Putin gave Trump an “objective and detailed analysis” of the situation on the frontline.
The Kremlin leader routinely says Russian forces are advancing across the entire front and that the capture of the eastern Donbas is a matter of time.
Putin also “pointed out what the Americans could realistically do to bring the hostilities to a swift conclusion,” Ushakov said, without providing further details.
Moscow has shown no signs of abandoning its maximalist conditions for ending the war, including a demand that Ukraine cede territory in the east that Russian forces have not captured.
Putin also told Trump that Russia had “no aggressive plans” toward Europe, according to Ushakov.
“In view of the speculation regarding Russia’s alleged hostile intentions towards European states, it was emphasised that we have absolutely no aggressive plans whatsoever towards Europe,” Ushakov said.
“The myths being spread about the Russian threat serve as a pretext for Europeans to ramp up support for Ukraine and their own military spending,” he added.
The Kremlin has also been accused over the summer of intensifying a sabotage campaign against Ukraine’s European backers, allegations Moscow has denied.
Concerns over Russia’s intentions have also been fueled by a surprise visit to Moscow in late August by CIA chief John Ratcliffe.
US media reported that Ratcliffe warned Russia against attacking any NATO country.
Tuesday’s call followed a weekend of direct diplomatic engagement in Moscow and Kyiv but produced no immediate breakthrough, as Washington and Moscow continued discussions over the war and the conditions for bringing the fighting to an end.