Trump and Putin hold nearly hour-long call: What we know so far
Photo: US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin (Getty Images)
US President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin held a phone conversation lasting nearly an hour, said Putin’s aide Yuri Ushakov, according to TASS.
Ushakov said that during the talks, Trump raised the possibility of a swift end to the hostilities between Ukraine and Russia.
The Kremlin leader said that Russia would not back down from its "goals of eliminating the causes of the conflict" with Ukraine.
According to Putin’s aide, the negotiations between Ukraine and Russia in Istanbul will remain bilateral.
Ushakov also assured that Putin did not discuss with the US President the issue of halting American arms supplies to Ukraine, nor specific dates for the third round of negotiations in Istanbul.
A possible meeting between the US President and the Russian leader was not discussed.
Putin and Trump also talked about the situation around Iran and the Middle East. The Kremlin head cynically "emphasized the importance of resolving issues in the Middle East through diplomacy."
Putin congratulated Trump on the upcoming US Independence Day and noted Russia’s contribution to the formation of American statehood.
Announcement of talks
Russian leader Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump announced their talks earlier today, July 3.
Commenting on the call, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that Putin and Trump have very few common topics because they are very different people.
