Trump speaks with Zelensky and Putin amid Ukraine standoff

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and the Kremlin announced that President Donald Trump held separate talks with the leaders of Ukraine and Russia, as efforts to end the war remain deadlocked, with Kiev and Moscow remaining deadlocked on key issues.

The talks took place on July 4, the day the United States marked the 250th anniversary of its independence.

Although there was no immediate reaction from the White House regarding these talks, both Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin's foreign policy adviser, Yury Ushakov, said that Trump remains willing to continue his mediation efforts to end the war in Ukraine, which is now well into its fifth year.

"There is a real opportunity to end this war, and America's determination is crucial," Zelensky wrote on the X social network, after what he described as a "very good" conversation with Trump.

Zelensky also said he had briefed the US president on the latest developments on the battlefield in Ukraine and announced that the two leaders agreed to "continue discussions" on a possible resolution to the conflict during the NATO summit, to be held next week in Ankara.

In recent months, Kiev has intensified its campaign of medium- and long-range attacks, causing fuel shortages across Russia, which has forced at least 17 regions to impose mandatory restrictions on the sale of gasoline and diesel.

On July 4, Ukrainian drones struck the St. Petersburg oil terminal – a major fuel supply hub on the Baltic Sea – as well as nearby port infrastructure.

Russian authorities said air defenses repelled the attack and reported only minor damage, while Ukraine said the attacks targeted strategic energy infrastructure.

With fuel shortages fueling discontent among Russian citizens, who had until now been largely unaffected by their country's all-out war against Ukraine, the Kremlin has increasingly sought to shift attention to what it presents as successes on the battlefield.

According to Ushakov, during the "90-minute" conversation, Putin presented Trump with his version of developments on the front, informing the US president about the Russian ground offensive in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk.

A day before the talks with Trump, Russia and Ukraine made conflicting claims about developments on the front, with Moscow insisting it had taken control of the key town in the region, Kostyantynivka, while Kiev rejected the claim.

Trump "once again confirmed his readiness to work towards a quick end to the fighting and finding solutions to overcome the crisis," Ushakov said after Putin's conversation with the US president.

However, he added that Putin told Trump that Moscow continues to seek "a political and diplomatic solution to the conflict, taking into account Russia's fundamental approach."

Despite US-led diplomatic efforts since Trump returned to the White House in January 2025, Kiev and Moscow remain far apart on the terms of negotiations.

During 2026, while Washington has focused on the war with Iran, there has also been little progress towards reducing the intensity of the fighting.

The Kremlin has continued to maintain a tough stance and has offered no compromise on its demand for full control over Donbas, which includes the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in eastern Ukraine./ REL