The Kremlin said Sunday that Presidents Putin and Trump spoke for 1 hour and 25 minutes. During the call, Putin briefed Trump on the fighting in Ukraine, and Trump offered to help broker a settlement ahead of the NATO summit in Turkey, with envoys Witkoff and Kushner to continue assisting the efforts.
The Kremlin confirmed Sunday morning that President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump spoke for 1 hour and 25 minutes, during which Trump offered to help mediate a settlement between Russia and Ukraine ahead of the NATO summit in Turkey. The call is the latest in a rapid series of diplomatic contacts between the two leaders overnight and early Sunday. According to the Kremlin statement, Putin provided a battlefield assessment of the war against Ukraine, and Trump said his envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would continue assisting mediation efforts.
This update builds on a thread of reports over the past few hours. The first version, published at 00:44 Jerusalem, cited a senior Russian adviser saying the call lasted 1 hour and 25 minutes, without disclosing content. Minutes later, at 00:44 Jerusalem, a second version added the details of Trump's mediation offer and the involvement of Witkoff and Kushner. At the same time, a Kremlin announcement acknowledged a 75-minute call between the leaders. By 05:57 Jerusalem, The Zioneer reported that the Kremlin confirmed an additional call was expected overnight. The current Kremlin statement appears to detail the content of that second conversation.
Background: U.S.-Russia contacts on Ukraine have intensified in recent weeks. As The Zioneer reported on June 14, Ukrainian President Zelensky said he saw a "real chance" to end the war after a call with Trump. On June 24, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov stated that Putin had reached a compromise on Ukraine during an August meeting with Trump in Alaska. The latest call suggests Trump is attempting to build on that framework and use the NATO summit as a diplomatic milestone.
What remains open is whether Ukraine was party to or briefed on this specific call, and whether the U.S. or Russia will confirm a third conversation. The timing and full agenda of the NATO summit in Turkey also remain to be clarified.
4 developments
- StrongKremlin: Putin and Trump speak; Trump seeks quick end to Ukraine war
- StrongTrump expresses optimism on Ukraine peace deal, says both sides want settlement
- ConfirmedU.S. official: Trump to discuss ending Ukraine war with Putin, meet Zelensky at NATO summit
- DevelopingLavrov: Putin compromised on Ukraine at August Alaska meeting with Trump
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