Ukraine War08 September, 20263 min read
Putin and Trump Hold Constructive, Frank Call on Ukraine Peace Path, Kremlin Says
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Putin and Trump held an hour-long call described as constructive and frank on Ukraine. Discussed settlement of Ukraine conflict following US envoys' visits to Moscow and Kyiv.
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“El relato de la llamada lo ofreció Yuri Ushakov, asesor de política internacional de Putin, recoge Reuters.”
“‘It was underlined that we don’t have any aggressive plans regarding Europe,’ Ushakov said.”
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Phone call and envoys
Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump held a "constructive and frank" hour-long telephone call about a potential path to peace in Ukraine, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said on Tuesday.
Ushakov said the presidents exchanged views on the outcome of U.S. peace negotiators’ recent visit to Moscow and Kyiv by special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, and that Putin gave Trump "a realistic assessment" of the situation on the battlefield.
Witkoff and Kushner met Putin in Moscow on Saturday before traveling to Kyiv for talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a day later, with Moscow describing the meeting with Putin as "substantive, constructive and highly useful" but with no specific breakthrough announced.
In Kyiv, ABC News reported Witkoff hailed "very meaningful discussions" with Zelenskyy as the talks were described as "substantive [and] important," while Zelenskyy thanked the United States for continued support and said it was "very important" for the delegation to arrive despite ongoing fighting.
No breakthrough, continued strikes
Despite warm descriptions of the talks, Deutsche Welle said the envoys made no breakthrough toward ending Russia’s war in Ukraine, and that Moscow and Kyiv remained divided over key issues, particularly territorial concessions. Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters that Putin and Trump discussed the war and Russia’s plans to advance its military goals, and he said Putin pushed back against concern about future attacks in Europe, adding, "It was underlined that we don’t have any aggressive plans regarding Europe."
ABC News reported that after the meetings in Moscow and Kyiv, few signs peace was any closer, and that Putin afterward gave no sign of compromise while Ushakov told TASS that Putin said it was necessary to eliminate "all root causes of the Ukrainian conflict." Al Jazeera reported that after a brief weekend truce, both countries resumed strikes, with Ukrainian officials saying Russian attacks on Tuesday morning killed at least five civilians and wounded 25 others in Kyiv, while Russian officials reported three people killed in the Bryansk and Kursk regions with 13 others wounded.
Winter stakes and security
As the diplomatic push continues, Zelenskyy told the U.S. envoys’ talks focused on military aid, saying Kyiv was seeking "serious volumes" of U.S. support and warning, "If the war drags on until winter — and that is how things currently look — we will need a 'winter package'." Deutsche Welle reported that Zelenskyy said the talks focused on military aid including Patriot missile systems and other weapons Ukraine will need in the coming months, while ABC News described Zelenskyy’s insistence that Ukraine would require "strong and clear" security guarantees.
BBC reported that after the talks, Zelensky insisted Ukraine would require "strong and clear" security guarantees, including a strong army, and that he gave no sign of being willing to give up any territory in the eastern Donbas region, describing the issue as "difficult". In the Kremlin’s framing, Ushakov said the phone call included discussion of "European narratives about a Russian threat," which he said are "being used to justify support for Ukraine and increased European military spending," while the Kremlin also said Putin and Trump agreed to continue work on humanitarian issues including prisoner exchanges and to remain in contact.