US President Donald Trump spoke with Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky late Saturday to discuss the conflict in Ukraine ahead of a NATO summit in Ankara on July 7 and 8. Negotiations remain at an impasse, with Moscow demanding the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from Ukraine’s Donetsk region – a demand Kyiv completely rejects as it stepped up attacks against Russia
Washington – President Trump held separate calls with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday to discuss ending the war in Ukraine, which is now in its fifth year. The calls took place as a Ukrainian attack on Crimea left one person dead, according to officials installed by Moscow in the Russian-occupied territory.
Two people were also injured, one seriously, in the attack in northern Crimea, said the Russian-installed regional Gov. Sergei Aksyonov on Telegram. Aksyonov did not provide details about the attack.
In recent weeks, Ukraine has stepped up its attacks on key infrastructure targets in Crimea as Kyiv’s military seeks to isolate the vital Russian-held peninsula in the latest stage of the war. Russian authorities in Crimea announced a state of emergency in the area at the end of last month, which halted all fuel sales to civilians in response to Ukrainian attacks. Putin, in a rare admission, told a Russian journalist around that time that the Ukrainian strikes were causing “problems” for Russia.
Crimea was seized by force and illegally annexed by Moscow in 2014. Ukraine’s increasing use of long-range strikes has highlighted its ability to inflict painful damage on Russia and put added pressure on the Kremlin while Moscow’s advances recently have ground to a near halt, Western analysts and officials say.
The latest attacks came after Zelenskyy and Putin spoke with Mr. Trump about ending the war.
Writing on X, Zelenskyy said he called to congratulate Mr. Trump to mark the 250th anniversary of American independence and that the two leaders discussed the situation along the front line.
“There is a real prospect of ending this war, and America’s determination will be crucial. We agreed to continue the conversation in person during the NATO summit in Ankara,” he said late Saturday.
The Kremlin said that Putin and Mr. Trump discussed the conflict in Ukraine in a “constructive” phone call on Saturday.
Kremlin foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov said that Putin congratulated Mr. Trump and the American people on the 250th anniversary of America’s independence during the call that lasted nearly an hour and half, their fourth conversation so far this year.
Ushakov said that Mr. Trump reaffirmed his “readiness to help achieve a quick cessation of hostilities and search for peaceful solutions to settle the crisis” in Ukraine, while Mr. Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will continue mediation efforts and stand ready to visit Moscow.
CBS/ France 24
