Trump speaks with Zelensky and Putin on same day; Ukraine war discussed
U.S. President Donald Trump held separate phone calls on Saturday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian leader Vladimir Putin, discussing the situation in Ukraine and prospects for ending the war.
U.S. President Donald Trump held two separate phone calls on Saturday, the 250th anniversary of U.S. Independence Day – one with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and another with Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
Zelensky announced on platform X that he congratulated Trump on the holiday and discussed the frontline situation. He expressed gratitude for U.S. military aid, including Javelin and Patriot missiles, and stated that "there is a real chance to end this war." The two leaders agreed to continue talks in person at the NATO summit in Ankara.
The White House, contrary to usual practice, did not issue any statement about the call – even hours later.
The Kremlin confirmed that Putin spoke with Trump, congratulating him on the U.S. holiday. Putin's foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushakov described the conversation as "constructive" and said that besides the Ukraine war, they also discussed the U.S.-Iran conflict. During the call, Putin claimed that Russian forces had captured Kostiantynivka in Donetsk region, but Kyiv denied this.
