Vladimir Putin has rejected the possibility of resuming peace talks with Ukraine during a telephone conversation with US President Donald Trump. This was stated by the aide to the Russian President Yuri Ushakov, according to whom Moscow will continue fighting until Ukraine surrenders.
The conversation lasted an hour and a half. According to Ushakov, Trump congratulated Putin on his birthday, wished him success and prosperity, and conveyed greetings from the US First Lady.
Putin thanked the US president for his attention to the dialogue with Moscow and stated that Russia's position on the war against Ukraine remains unchanged. According to Ushakov, the Russian leader accused Ukraine of trying to sabotage the Russian elections and assured Trump that the Ukrainian resistance "has no prospects."
Putin's aide also claims that the Russian president told Trump that the Russian troops "fully control the initiative and are moving forward."
Russian messages to Kiev
Ushakov said that after the conversation, Trump instructed the "signals" received from Russia to be transmitted to the Ukrainian side. It is not specified how exactly this will be done and what Kiev's response will be.
The two leaders expressed satisfaction with the functioning of the communication channels between Moscow and Washington, including at the level of special services. A possible meeting on the sidelines of the APEC summit was also discussed, if Putin and Trump were to attend. No date has been announced or a bilateral meeting confirmed yet.
The call after the diesel deal
The phone call came after Trump announced that he had agreed with Putin to deliver millions of tons of Russian diesel to the United States. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky criticized the decision, calling the lifting of sanctions an “absolutely terrible step“.