Russian President Vladimir Putin and United States President Donald Trump held an “extremely frank” telephone conversation on Tuesday following recent visits by American negotiators to Moscow and Kyiv, the Kremlin has disclosed.
The call came after Trump’s business associate Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner travelled to Russia and Ukraine over the weekend for discussions with Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov stated that Putin and Trump discussed the outcome of the diplomatic engagements during their one-hour conversation but that the talks produced no immediate breakthrough in efforts to end the war in Ukraine.
Ushakov said Putin provided Trump with what he described as an “objective and detailed analysis” of developments on the battlefield.
The Kremlin official added that Putin explained measures the United States could realistically take to help bring the conflict to an end but did not provide details of the proposals.
The Russia-Ukraine war, now in its fourth year, remains one of the deadliest conflicts in Europe since World War II, with diplomatic efforts continuing despite disagreements over possible terms for a settlement.
Moscow has maintained demands that include Ukraine surrendering territories in the east currently claimed by Russia, a position Kyiv and its allies have rejected.
During the call, Putin also told Trump that Russia had “no aggressive plans” towards European countries, according to Ushakov.
The statement came amid continued concerns among some European governments that Moscow could expand military pressure beyond Ukraine, allegations Russia has repeatedly denied.
“In view of the speculation regarding Russia’s alleged hostile intentions towards European states, it was emphasised that we have absolutely no aggressive plans whatsoever towards Europe,” Ushakov stated.
He accused some European countries of using concerns about Russia as justification to increase military support for Ukraine and raise defence spending.
“The myths being spread about the Russian threat serve as a pretext for Europeans to ramp up support for Ukraine and their own military spending,” Ushakov stated.
The latest diplomatic engagement follows a period of renewed efforts by Washington to explore possible pathways towards ending the conflict, though major disagreements remain between Moscow and Kyiv.
A surprise visit to Moscow by CIA Director John Ratcliffe in late August also drew attention, with US media reporting that he warned Russia against any attack on NATO member states.
