The call came after a US special envoy visited Russia and Ukraine to discuss “proposals to end the war.”
Published September 8, 2026
US President Donald Trump spoke by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin as the White House ramps up efforts to reach a peace deal with Ukraine.
On Tuesday, Putin’s foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov said the two leaders had a “constructive and very frank” hour-long meeting.
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Ushakov said Putin discussed the ongoing war in Ukraine and Russia’s plans to advance its military goals on the battlefield with Trump.
Ushakov said: “An objective and thorough analysis of the ongoing special military operations and a general view of the expected progress on the battlefield and the achievement of the goals and tasks of special military operations were presented.”
The adviser added that Putin pushed back against growing concerns that Russia could launch attacks in Europe, including on NATO members, in the future.
“It was emphasized that we do not have any active plans for Europe,” Ushakov said.
The White House did not respond to Al Jazeera’s request for comment on the reported call.
The call came days after U.S. special envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff spoke separately with President Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to discuss what President Trump called “proposals to end the war” in Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II.
Ushakov told reporters that Putin and Trump “exchanged views on the outcome of the visit” and that some “very good and valuable ideas” were presented.
After speaking with US envoys on Sunday, President Zelensky thanked President Trump for “allowing him to come” to Ukraine, despite the ongoing fighting and the temporary suspension of negotiations.
“It’s very important that the delegation arrived to meet us. We’ve been waiting for Steve and Jared and Witkoff and Kushner for a long time,” Zelenskiy said.
“It is very important for us to do everything to end this war,” he added.
Although the talks were praised by all sides, no progress was made toward ending the fighting. After a brief truce over the weekend, the two countries resumed strikes.
Ukrainian officials said a Russian attack on Tuesday morning killed at least five civilians and injured 25 others in Kiev.
Meanwhile, Russian authorities announced that three people were killed and 13 injured in Bryansk and Kursk regions. About five people were also killed in Ukraine’s attack on Russian-annexed Crimea, local authorities said.
The war began in February 2022 after Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, considered Europe’s breadbasket.
President Trump made ending the war a priority for his second administration, pledging during his campaign that reconciliation could be achieved within 24 hours.
He later recanted the claim, calling it an exaggeration. In the face of reports that some U.S. military stocks are dwindling, President Trump has repeatedly accused Ukraine of draining the country’s missile supplies and finances, although critics point to U.S. actions against Iran as a key factor.
Although President Trump’s relationship with Ukraine and the president is unstable, he has a close relationship with President Putin, and said the two had shared “tremendous” experiences.
Last year, President Trump invited him to Alaska for his first visit to the continental United States since 2015.
The Trump administration has faced criticism for seeking to end the Ukraine war without fully involving Ukrainian and European officials. Ukrainian officials say President Trump and Zelensky are scheduled to meet later this month.
