Russia will not back down from its goals in Ukraine, Putin tells Trump in phone call

Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Donald Trump held a telephone conversation on Thursday and discussed the settlement of the Ukrainian conflict and the situation in the Middle East. Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said Putin and Trump spoke for nearly an hour and had detailed discussions on Iran and the Middle East. The two leaders also agreed that they would keep talking to each other. Trump raised the issue of a ceasefire in the Ukraine War and a speedy end to hostilities, following which Putin stressed the Russian side’s readiness to continue negotiations.
Putin said Russia will achieve its goal of removing root issues that led to the Ukraine conflict and told Trump that Russia will not step back from its goals in Ukraine. The Kremlin said that the two leaders didn’t talk about halting some US weapons deliveries to Ukraine.

“Our president also said that Russia will achieve its goals, that is, the elimination of all the root causes that led to the current state of affairs, to the current confrontation. And Russia will not back down from these goals,” Ushakov said.

Settle Iran conflict exclusively by diplomatic means, says Putin

Putin also emphasised the importance of settling the Iran conflict and other issues in the Middle East exclusively by diplomatic means.

“From the Russian side, the importance of settling all disputed issues, disagreements and conflictual situations be solved exclusively by politico-diplomatic means was stressed,” Ushakov told reporters after the call.

The two leaders also touched upon the developments in Syria, and discussed a number of promising joint economic projects in energy and space exploration.

Sixth call between Trump and Putin this year

It was the sixth publicly disclosed conversation between the two leaders this year. The call came amid mounting scrutiny over US support for Ukraine, as the Pentagon confirmed a pause in some military aid shipments to Kyiv.
These include critical items such as air defence missiles and precision-guided artillery, temporarily held back while Washington reviews its global stockpile levels.

The last known call between the two leaders was on 14 June, shortly after Israel launched airstrikes on Iran.

This is the sixth time since the beginning of the year that the presidents have spoken over the phone. The first conversation after Trump's return to the presidency took place on February 12. It was the first contact between the leaders of Russia and the United States in three years. Then the heads of state talked over the phone on March 18. Putin supported Trump’s idea to impose a 30-day moratorium on strikes on the energy facilities, but Kiev has not joined the initiative.

‘He may be offended,’ Putin told forum audience

Earlier, Putin wrapped up his address at a forum, “Strong Ideas for Modern Times” at about 16:45 ahead of the schedule while sharing with the audience that he had to go and call Trump: “No good to keep him waiting—he may be offended.”

Putin and Trump then spoke by phone on May 19 and June 4, shortly after direct Russian-Ukrainian talks in Istanbul. On June 14, Putin congratulated Trump on his birthday. Escalation in the Middle East, which began in those days, was also discussed.

According to TASS calculations, during the previous presidential term, Trump spoke with Putin on average five times a year, including face-to-face meetings.

Since Trump’s return to the presidency, both he and Putin have signalled a desire to reset US-Russia ties, which have been at historic lows due to the war in Ukraine. Earlier this week, Putin also held a separate call with French President Emmanuel Macron—their first direct communication in nearly three years—adding to the diplomatic activity around Ukraine.

Zelensky hopes to speak with Trump ‘maybe tomorrow’

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says he expects to have a telephone conversation with his US counterpart Donald Trump “maybe tomorrow” or in the next few days.

Speaking at the opening of Denmark's EU Council Presidency alongside Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Zelesnky said he hopes "that maybe tomorrow... these days" he will speak about the suspended arms deliveries with US President Donald Trump.