Trump and Putin hold one-hour call on Ukraine war: What to know

Russian leader Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump held a phone call today with Putin sharing his assessment of the Ukraine situation while Trump pushed for a major effort to improve Russia-US ties, according to Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov.

According to Ushakov, Trump and Putin spoke for exactly one hour and the conversation was “constructive and very frank.”

The Russian leader’s assistant noted during the call that both sides shared perspectives on the recent visits by US presidential special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Kyiv and Moscow.

Ushakov claims that Trump underscored the need to bring Russia’s war against Ukraine to an end as early as possible. This creates major potential for cooperation between Moscow and Washington.

Putin delivered his briefing on the situation on the battlefield to Trump and defined Russia’s military objectives. He is also trying to convince the US leader that Moscow has no aggressive plans against Europe.

Earlier, US peace envoy Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff reportedly met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv today-a move that highlights how the Trump administration has intensified its diplomatic drive to resolve Russia’s war in Ukraine.

According to Kremlin aid, the United States and Russia continued commitment to humanitarian causes including prisoner exchanges. During the meeting, the Russian leader underlined the achievements of Russian forces on the battlefield and stressed that he intends to attain his military objectives.