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Trump, Putin hold ‘frank’ phone call as US restarts Ukraine deal efforts
Al Jazeera • • nation
Key Points:
- US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a "constructive and quite frank" hour-long phone call discussing the war in Ukraine and Russia's military objectives, according to Putin's adviser Yury Ushakov.
- Putin emphasized that Russia has no aggressive plans toward Europe or NATO members during the conversation, pushing back against concerns of future attacks.
- The call followed recent visits by US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff to both Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, aiming to propose ideas to end the conflict, though no breakthrough was achieved.
- Despite a brief truce during the envoys' visit, fighting resumed with casualties reported on both sides, including civilian deaths in Kyiv and Russian-annexed Crimea.
- Trump has prioritized ending the war during a potential second term, maintaining a close relationship with Putin, but his approach has faced criticism for insufficient involvement of Ukrainian and European officials.
