- Newsroom
Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by phone yesterday, Saturday, with his American counterpart Donald Trump on the occasion of the 250th anniversary of the United States, the Kremlin announced in the early morning hours, clarifying that the two leaders mainly discussed the situation in Ukraine, ahead of the NATO summit in Ankara.
“The presidents naturally touched on the issue of settlement in Ukraine, especially in light of the upcoming participation of Donald Trump in the NATO summit in Turkey on July 7 and 8,” said Yuri Ushakov, adviser to the Russian presidency for diplomatic affairs, as reported by the RIA news agency.
According to him, during their conversation, which lasted one hour and 25 minutes, the two leaders also spoke about other international issues, such as Iran and the Middle East.
Earlier yesterday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that he also spoke by phone with Donald Trump.
I have congratulated President Trump @POTUS and all Americans on the Independence Day. We’ve had a very good phone call. We are grateful to the United States for all the assistance we have received – from Javelins and Patriots to political support – and we deeply value that Εμφάνιση περισσότερων — Volodymyr Zelenskyy (@ZelenskyyUa) July 4, 2026
Heads of state and government and delegations from 32 countries, including Donald Trump, are expected from Tuesday in the Turkish capital for this summit.
Mr. Putin “referred to the real picture of the situation on the battlefield (in Ukraine), where the Russian armed forces are advancing confidently,” said Kremlin diplomatic adviser Ushakov.
Moscow announced the day before yesterday, Friday, the capture of the Ukrainian city of Kostiantynivka, a stronghold of Kyiv forces in the eastern Donetsk region, the full control of which is among the Kremlin's key objectives. The Russian announcement was denied by Kyiv, which assured that its troops control the city and fighting continues.
On the fronts, Russian armed forces have been advancing at a very slow pace in recent months, as ubiquitous unmanned aerial systems make vehicle movement, especially heavy vehicles, nearly impossible and inflict heavy losses on both sides.
On the diplomatic level, negotiations remain deadlocked. Moscow demands the withdrawal of Ukrainian armed forces, especially from Donetsk and the other regions it has announced it annexed, although it does not fully control them. Kyiv refuses.
