Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy each spoke by phone with US President Donald Trump on Sunday, as President Trump celebrates his 80th birthday and the Ukraine war remains a flashpoint ahead of this week’s G7 summit.
Russian Presidential Advisor Yuri Ushakov, who briefed reporters afterward, said the telephone conversation between President Putin and President Trump lasted less than an hour.
Regarding Ukraine, Ushakov said President Trump has stressed the need to end hostilities and said he is ready to influence European allies and Kiev toward that goal, including at the upcoming G7 summit.
Trump also said recent Russian attacks on civilian targets complicate reconciliation (the White House has not confirmed it or commented on the talks), but Ushakov said ending the war early could open the door to “a truly new quality of U.S.-Russian relations.”
Mr. Ushakov said Mr. Putin insisted that Kiev’s attacks on Russian civilian infrastructure did not change Ukraine’s position on the battlefield, and said that if Mr. Zelenskyy wanted a meeting, “I will let him come to Moscow.”
Ushakov said U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and President Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner are scheduled to visit Russia soon.
Ushakov said the two leaders also discussed Iran, with President Trump saying a deal between the U.S. and Tehran was close and that he hoped the results of the talks would be made public today.
Zelenskyy said in a statement to the Telegram on Sunday that he had a “great conversation” with Trump.
The Ukrainian president said he not only wished President Trump a happy birthday, but also expressed his gratitude to the U.S. president for supporting Ukraine.
He did not give details, but said they discussed “what we can do now to bring peace closer.” Mr. Zelensky also informed President Trump about how Ukraine’s position on the eastern front is improving and strengthening.
“We agreed to discuss this further at the G7 summit,” he said.
The call came as President Trump prepared to celebrate his birthday with a UFC fight on the White House lawn on Sunday night, an unprecedented event in U.S. history. Once the deal is finalized, Trump will fly to France overnight to attend the G7 summit, where Ukraine is expected to be a major topic on Tuesday, with Zelensky also expected to attend the meeting.
Russia’s war in Ukraine has long frustrated President Trump, who as a candidate claimed he could end the conflict within 24 hours of taking office. Since then, he has stopped making such claims and tends to go off topic when questioned. He is also increasingly frustrated by the war between Israel and Iran, which is raising gas prices, roiling financial markets and fueling inflation fears.
Diplomatic exchanges took place against the backdrop of continued fighting. One person was killed and nine others were injured overnight in a Ukrainian drone attack on a residential building in the capital of Russia’s Oryol region, Governor Andrei Kriuchkov announced Sunday. Another drone attack killed one person in Russia’s Bryansk region on Sunday, local authorities said.
Another drone attack struck a fuel storage facility in Russia’s Yaroslavl region, about 790 miles from the Ukrainian border, causing a fire. President Zelenskiy said the attack hit “an important oil facility for the reserve forces of the aggressor state.”
Ukraine has stepped up attacks on Russia’s oil and gas infrastructure in recent months, claiming the sector is financing Russian aggression.
Separately, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Sunday that Britain was investigating the sanctions tanker Smirtos, suspected of belonging to a “shadow fleet” of Russian vessels used to evade war-related sanctions.
British forces boarded the ship in the English Channel and detained it. The MoD said it was the first British-led operation of its kind and was carried out in conjunction with French authorities.
“This operation deals another blow to Russia and reminds it that it cannot hide from Putin’s war-mongering in Ukraine,” Starmer said.
