Trump, Putin Hold Hour-Long Phone Call On Ukraine War US Seeks To Revive Stalled Peace Talks

(MENAFN- Live Mint) US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin held an hour-long phone conversation on Tuesday (September 8), discussing efforts to revive negotiations aimed at ending the war in Ukraine after US envoys travelled to Moscow and Kyiv.

Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov described the conversation as“constructive and quite candid”. He said the two leaders discussed the recent visits by US envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who met Putin in Moscow before travelling to Kyiv for talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Trump seeks swift end to Ukraine war

Trump told Putin that he wanted the conflict to end as soon as possible, Ushakov said. A swift resolution, according to the Kremlin aide, could pave the way for the full restoration of US-Russia relations.

Trump also wants a breakthrough during his presidency, with improved trade and economic ties between Washington and Moscow potentially bringing benefits to both countries, Ushakov said.

Putin supported Trump's approach, according to the Kremlin.

Witkoff, Kushner hold talks in Moscow and Kyiv

Witkoff and Kushner met Putin in Moscow on Saturday (September 5) for more than three hours. Ushakov described those discussions as substantive, constructive, extremely frank and trusting.

The two US envoys subsequently travelled to Kyiv, where they held talks with Zelenskyy on Sunday in their first visit to the Ukrainian capital as part of the latest diplomatic push.

The visits were discussed positively by both Trump and Putin during Tuesday's phone call, Ushakov said.

No breakthrough in Moscow talks

Despite the renewed diplomatic activity, the Moscow discussions failed to produce a breakthrough, according to people familiar with the matter.

Putin remains determined to secure control of all of Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region, while Kyiv has repeatedly rejected Moscow's demand to hand over a fortified belt of cities there.

Russian forces have failed to capture the cities in fighting that dates back to 2014. Ukraine has instead proposed that the war be halted along the existing front lines.

Putin says Russia has no hostile plans toward Europe

During the call, Putin gave Trump his assessment of the battlefield situation and stressed that Russia has no hostile plans toward Europe, Ushakov said.

The statement comes amid continuing concerns in Europe over the wider implications of Russia's war in Ukraine.

Zelensky sees no quick end to war

Zelensky said following the talks that he did not see a quick end to the conflict.

Ukraine is preparing for another difficult winter and is seeking additional air defence systems to protect against Russian attacks, he said.

Zelensky also argued that territorial issues should ultimately be settled at the“leader level”, signalling that major decisions would require direct engagement between the countries' top leadership.

Trump, Putin agree to remain in contact

Ushakov said Trump and Putin agreed to continue communicating and speak by phone again when necessary.

The two leaders also agreed on the need to continue prisoner exchanges, although the Kremlin did not provide further details about the discussions.

The latest diplomatic push follows the collapse of US-led efforts to end the war in February, when Trump's attention shifted toward the conflict with Iran.

(With Reuters inputs)

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