Trump offered over phone to help Putin find deal with Ukraine, Kremlin aide says

July 5 - U.S. President Donald Trump, speaking to Russian leader Vladimir Putin by telephone for nearly 90 minutes, offered to help find a solution to the Ukraine war, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said in comments made public early on Sunday.

Ushakov said Trump made the offer in the context of his participation next week at the NATO summit in Turkey.

"The American president once again confirmed his readiness to work towards a rapid end to the fighting and find solutions to overcome the crisis," Ushakov said.

He said Russia sought "a political-diplomatic resolution of the conflict, with due account of Russia's fundamental approach".

Ushakov accused Kyiv and its European allies of "counting on extending and even escalating the conflict, and on terrorism against civilians." He was referring to Ukraine's long-range strikes on Russian targets, mainly linked to the oil industry.

He quoted Trump as saying that Washington's envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, would keep trying to broker a settlement and were prepared to make another visit to Moscow.

Ushakov said Putin "depicted the real situation on the battlefield where the Russian armed forces are confidently advancing, liberating one locality after another".

Russian commanders told Putin on Friday that Moscow's troops had captured the strategically important city of Kostiantynivka in eastern Ukraine.

On Saturday, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Ukraine's General Staff rejected that claim, saying Kyiv's forces still controlled the city. REUTERS