Putin and Trump Hold Hour-Long Call on Ukraine, Kremlin Says
Putin and Trump spoke for an hour about Ukraine, with Putin denying hostile intent toward Europe and Trump urging an end to the conflict.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump held a telephone conversation on Tuesday that a top Kremlin aide described as "constructive and very frank."
Yury Ushakov, a foreign policy aide to Putin, confirmed the call lasted exactly one hour. He stated that during the discussion, Putin sought to counter speculation about Russian aggression, asserting that Moscow harbors no hostile intentions toward European countries.
"Against the backdrop of speculation alleging that Russia holds hostile intentions toward European states, it was emphasized that we do not harbor any aggressive plans against Europe whatsoever," Ushakov said. He added that narratives about a Russian threat are used by European nations to justify increased military spending and continued support for Ukraine.
According to Ushakov, Trump stressed the need to bring the Ukraine conflict to an end. The aide suggested that such a resolution would open broad prospects for the full restoration of bilateral relations between Washington and Moscow.
The two leaders reportedly agreed to continue working on humanitarian issues, including the exchange of detained and convicted individuals. Ushakov declined to provide further details, noting that the conversation was strictly confidential.