Trump says no progress made in phone call with Putin on Ukraine war
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Trump reported that no progress has been made on key issues after a discussion with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
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Donald Trump speaks at a news conference at Trump National Golf Club on August 15, 2024. (AP)
US President Donald Trump said Thursday that his phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier in the day yielded no progress on key issues, including the war in Ukraine.
Speaking to reporters at Joint Base Andrews, Trump confirmed that the two leaders discussed both Iran and Ukraine during the nearly hour-long conversation. Trump urged a swift end to the conflict, while, according to Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov, Putin reiterated Moscow’s commitment to addressing what it calls the war’s “root causes.”
Notably absent from the discussion was the recent US pause on certain weapons shipments to Kiev, Ushakov said.
Just hours after the call, Ukrainian officials reported a Russian drone strike igniting a fire in a Kiev suburb, underscoring the continuing violence and the lack of immediate impact from the high-level exchange.
In Kiev, Reuters witnesses reported loud explosions and sustained bursts of heavy machine-gun fire as Ukrainian air defense forces engaged waves of incoming drones over the capital.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, speaking to reporters in Denmark, said he hoped to speak with President Trump as soon as Friday regarding the ongoing pause in US weapons deliveries, a suspension first revealed earlier this week.
The high-stakes diplomacy comes as the US halts deliveries of key weapons to Ukraine due to dwindling stockpiles, just as Russian forces intensify their summer offensive and escalate attacks on civilian infrastructure.
Ukraine summoned the acting US envoy to Kiev on Wednesday to stress the urgency of continued American military support, warning that the recent pause in weapons shipments would severely undermine its ability to repel intensifying Russian airstrikes and battlefield advances.
The suspension, according to Reuters, has already resulted in reduced deliveries of Patriot air defense systems, critical for intercepting high-speed ballistic missiles.
Despite the timing, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said the issue of US arms transfers was not discussed during Thursday’s nearly hour-long phone call between Presidents Trump and Putin.
Ushakov noted that while Moscow remains open to dialogue with Washington, any meaningful peace talks must occur directly between Russia and Ukraine.
That position reflects Russia’s recent efforts to sideline the US from future negotiations. Ukrainian officials said that during a meeting in Istanbul in early June, Russian representatives asked American diplomats to leave the room, underscoring Moscow’s resistance to a trilateral diplomatic format.
Ushakov also confirmed that Trump and Putin did not discuss plans for an in-person meeting.
