With NATO leaders preparing to converge on Ankara, US President Donald Trump held back-to-back calls with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, placing the war in Ukraine — and prospects for a settlement — at the centre of a high-stakes pre-summit push, according to the Kremlin and Mr Zelensky.
Both sides said the conversations also took place to mark the 250th birthday of the United States.
In Moscow’s account, the Ukraine conflict featured prominently, particularly with Mr Trump set to attend the NATO summit in Turkey on 7 and 8 July. “The presidents naturally addressed the issue of a settlement in Ukraine, taking into account, in particular, Donald Trump’s upcoming participation in the NATO summit in Turkey on 7 and 8 July,” Yuri Ushakov, the Kremlin’s foreign policy aide, said, according to the RIA Novosti news agency.
Mr Ushakov said Mr Trump reiterated that he was prepared to press for an end to the fighting. “The American president once again confirmed his readiness to work towards a rapid end to the fighting and find solutions to overcome the crisis,” he added.
Beyond Ukraine, the two leaders used the 85-minute conversation to cover other flashpoints, including Iran and the Middle East, Mr Ushakov said.
Volodymyr Zelensky said he and Mr Trump discussed ‘the current situation on the front line’
Mr Zelensky, describing his own call with Mr Trump as a “very good phone call”, said they reviewed both battlefield conditions and diplomacy after more than four years of war in his country.
“President Trump and I discussed the current situation on the front line as well as our diplomatic efforts,” he wrote on social media platform X.
He said the pair agreed to keep talking when leaders meet in Turkey. “There is a real prospect to put an end to this war, and America’s resolve is decisive. We have agreed to continue these discussions during the NATO Summit in Ankara,” he added.
Heads of state and delegations from 32 countries, including Mr Trump, are expected to arrive in Ankara starting on Tuesday for the summit.
Mr Ushakov, however, levelled sharp accusations at Ukraine and its European partners, claiming they were “counting on extending and even escalating the conflict, and on terrorism against civilians”.
He said he was referring to Ukraine’s long-range strikes on Russian targets, mainly linked to the oil industry.
According to Mr Ushakov, Mr Trump told Mr Putin that Washington’s envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, would continue seeking to broker a settlement and were willing to travel again to Moscow.
Mr Ushakov also said Mr Putin described what he called shifting realities on the ground. Mr Putin “depicted the real situation on the battlefield where the Russian armed forces are confidently advancing, liberating one locality after another”, he said.
Firefighters work to extinguish a fire at a building following a Russian airstrike in Kramatorsk
The diplomatic manoeuvring unfolded as the two sides traded claims over control of Kostiantynivka, a strategically important city in eastern Ukraine. Russian commanders told Mr Putin on Friday that Moscow’s troops had captured the city.
Mr Zelensky and Ukraine’s General Staff rejected that claim, saying Kyiv’s forces still controlled the city.
Kostyantynivka is one of the final obstacles on the route to the major Ukrainian-held cities of Kramatorsk and Sloviansk; capturing them is the Kremlin’s ultimate goal in the Donbas.
Ukrainian army spokesperson Andriy Kovalyov told AFP that “Ukrainian defenders continue to hold their positions along the designated defensive lines”.
“The situation remains difficult,” he said.
He acknowledged that small groups of Russian troops had infiltrated the town, but said fighting continued.
Russia’s defence ministry offered a different picture, saying: “Russian troops are in all parts of the town – from the southern to northern outskirts”.
Vladimir Putin has repeatedly turned down talks with the Ukrainian president to end the war
Mr Zelensky dismissed the Russian account as misinformation. Mr Zelensky called the claim “just another Russian lie”.
“If Kostyantynivka were under Russian control, then perhaps Putin would have no problem meeting me there to find a diplomatic way to finally end this war,” the Ukrainian leader said on social media.
Mr Putin has repeatedly turned down talks with Mr Zelensky to end more than four years of war, saying Moscow intends to capture the rest of eastern Ukraine by force.
The latest exchanges came alongside renewed reports of strikes inside Russia. Russia said Ukrainian drones hit an oil terminal in Saint Petersburg, Mr Putin’s hometown, struck a port near Finland, and fell on the historical Peterhof complex without causing damage.
Russia vowed to respond, saying it downed almost 500 Ukrainian drones and 10 of Kyiv’s Flamingo missiles.
The Ukrainian attack came after a Russian strike on Kyiv this week killed 30 people amid other strikes.
Mr Zelensky also claimed Ukraine struck the Kronstadt naval base in Saint Petersburg.
Ukraine has stepped up attacks on Russian territory in recent months — including strikes reaching the Urals far from the front line — framing them as retaliation for Russia’s grinding offensive.
On the diplomatic track, talks remain stalled, with Moscow insisting Ukraine withdraw its forces from the entire Donetsk region — a condition Kyiv rejects.
