Putin and Trump discuss Ukraine in "extremely frank" call after US envoys visit
Moscow, Russia - Russian President Vladimir Putin and US counterpart Donald Trump on Tuesday discussed the Ukraine conflict in an "extremely frank" and constructive hour-long phone call, the Kremlin said.
It came after US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner visited Moscow and Kyiv over the weekend in an attempt to kickstart long-stalled US efforts to end the fighting.
Washington has been pushing for fresh face-to-face talks between Moscow and Kyiv.
Kyiv says the talks could happen as early as this month, but the Kremlin on Monday said it was "too early" to discuss a venue or dates.
During their call on Tuesday, Putin and Trump "focused on the issue of a settlement in Ukraine", Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters, including AFP.
Trump called for a speedy end to the fighting, Ushakov said, while Putin presented an "objective and detailed analysis" of the frontline situation.
Putin has routinely said his troops are advancing across the entire front, with the capture of the entire eastern Donbas region a matter of time.
Putin "pointed out what the Americans could realistically do to bring the hostilities to a swift conclusion" and stressed that Russia had "no aggressive plans" towards Europe, Ushakov added.
Trump and the White House did not provide an immediate readout of the call.
Russia resumes strikes against Ukraine after visit from US negotiators
Russia has intensified aerial attacks on Ukrainian towns and cities in recent months.
After announcing a brief ceasefire to coincide with Witkoff and Kushner's visit to Kyiv, Moscow resumed strikes on the Ukrainian capital overnight, killing at least five people, according to Ukraine's rescue services.
AFP reporters in Kyiv heard fresh explosions in the early hours of Tuesday, triggering fires and sending locals down into basements and metro stations for shelter.
Zelensky meanwhile said Russian, Ukrainian and US negotiators could meet as early as this month for talks on finding an end to the war.
"If all sides agree, we also want to hold it in the autumn. If September works out, then it would be great. The earlier, the better," he said.
Several previous rounds of negotiations have failed. Trust is low, and there is no sign that Moscow or Kyiv have shifted their positions.
"The moment the US president's peace envoys left, Putin launched another massive, horrific attack against Kyiv," Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga said.
"His ballistic missiles speak louder than his words on diplomacy."
Cover photo: Collage: MIKHAIL METZEL / POOL / AFP & JIM WATSON / AFP



