Putin and Zelensky hold phone calls with Trump as US president marks his 80th birthday

AdvertisementUkraine warWorldUnited States & CanadaPutin and Zelensky hold phone calls with Trump as US president marks his 80th birthdayTrump said ending the Ukraine war could open the door to a ‘new quality of US-Russian relations’, according to a Russian presidential aide3-MIN READ3-MIN ListenAssociated PressPublished: 2:16am, 15 Jun 2026Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky each held phone calls with US President Donald Trump on Sunday, as Trump marked his 80th birthday and the war in Ukraine remained a flashpoint ahead of this week’s G7 summit.Putin’s call with Trump lasted just under an hour, according to Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov, who briefed reporters.On Ukraine, Ushakov said Trump emphasised the need to end hostilities and stated his readiness to influence European allies and Kyiv towards that goal, including at the coming G7 summit.

AdvertisementTrump also said recent strikes on civilian targets in Russia complicate a settlement – though the White House has not confirmed that, nor commented on the call – and said that ending the war quickly could open the door to “a truly new quality of US-Russian relations”, Ushakov quoted the US president as saying.Putin, for his part, argued that attacks on Russian civilian infrastructure by Kyiv would not change Ukraine’s position on the battlefield and said that if Zelensky wants a meeting with him, “let him come to Moscow”, according to Ushakov.AdvertisementUS envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner are expected to travel to Russia soon, Ushakov said.

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