Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump spoke by telephone for nearly 90 minutes on Saturday, July 4 — US Independence Day and the 250th anniversary of American independence — discussing the war in Ukraine, the situation around Iran, and other international matters, the Kremlin announced. The call came days before Trump is due to attend the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, on July 7–8.
Kremlin diplomatic adviser Yuri Ushakov described the conversation as "business-like and quite constructive," saying Trump reaffirmed his readiness to work toward a swift end to the fighting and offered to help find a solution to the conflict. Ushakov said Putin gave Trump what the Kremlin characterised as a realistic picture of the battlefield, with Russian forces "confidently advancing." Russia's position, Ushakov stressed, requires a political and diplomatic resolution "with due account of Russia's fundamental approach" — which includes Moscow assuming full control over Ukraine's Donbas region in the country's east, a condition Kyiv firmly rejects. Ushakov also said Trump indicated that his envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would continue mediation efforts and were prepared to make another visit to Moscow, and that Putin reminded Trump his invitation to visit the Russian capital remains open.
The call coincided with a sharp dispute over the battlefield situation. Russia's Defence Ministry claimed Friday that its forces had captured Kostiantynivka, a strategically significant city in the eastern Donetsk region that has been a key Ukrainian stronghold and a primary Kremlin objective. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Ukraine's General Staff flatly denied the claim, saying their forces remained in control of the city and fighting was continuing. Zelenskyy called Moscow's announcement "just another Russian lie," while Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov insisted Kostiantynivka was already Russian territory. Separately, Ukrainian drones struck oil infrastructure and the port of Vysotsk near St Petersburg, Russia's second-largest city, overnight — part of a pattern of long-range Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy targets that Ushakov blamed on Kyiv's alleged desire to prolong and escalate the conflict.
Zelenskyy also spoke with Trump on Saturday, describing their call as "very good." He said the two discussed the situation along the war's roughly 1,200-kilometre front line and agreed to continue talks in person at the Ankara NATO summit. "There is a real prospect to end this war and American resolve will have a crucial meaning," Zelenskyy wrote on social media. The summit itself is set to be a significant moment for Ukraine's backers: European NATO members and Canada are expected to formally commit to €140 billion in military aid to Ukraine over 2026 and 2027, matching a pledge made two years ago at the Washington summit — this time without US participation in the financial commitment.
The flurry of diplomacy underscores how the Ankara summit has become a focal point for efforts to resolve a war now entering its fifth year. With US mediation efforts having slowed amid Washington's focus on Iran, and with both sides still far apart on terms, the calls signal continued American engagement — but no breakthrough appears imminent.