US President Donald Trump speaks by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky ahead of a NATO summit in Ankara, according to the Kremlin and the Ukrainian president’s office. The calls are made as discussions focus on a possible settlement to the war in Ukraine. Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov says both sides address the question of a settlement “taking into account” Trump’s upcoming participation in the NATO summit on July 7 and 8. RTE and other reports similarly say the leaders discuss the conflict and prospects for negotiations during the pre-summit period.
France 24 reports that negotiations are still at an impasse, citing Moscow’s position that Ukrainian forces must withdraw from Ukraine’s Donetsk region, a demand Kyiv rejects. The reports also note that the calls take place amid broader diplomatic signaling around the timing of the NATO summit. The sources describe the communications as separate conversations with Putin and Zelensky, with both sides emphasizing the settlement issue.
