In Putin Call, Trump Seeks Swift End To Ukraine War & Restoration Of US-Russia Ties
On Tuesday morning President Trump and his Russian counterpart President Putin held a "positive" phone call regarding finding an end to the Ukraine war, the Kremlin side has stated.
Russian president aide Yury Ushakov has been the first to provide a readout, with little revealed from the US side in the immediate aftermath. The phone call was "constructive and frank" and lasted exactly one hour, but remains "strictly confidential."
Likely the White House will also be equally scant in what information it chooses to release, given the sensitivity of the timing, coming just off the weekend shuttle diplomacy by Trump's envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
Their rare, direct meeting with Putin on Saturday lasted than three hours, after which they traveled to Ukraine to meet with Zelensky, in what was a much more chummy atmosphere, naturally.
Ushakov in his fresh comments described of that prior meeting, "Overall, the visit of the aforementioned American representatives was assessed positively." He further said "European narratives about a Russian threat" were discussed in the call - an issue now "being used to justify support for Ukraine and increased European military spending."
The readout indicates, "Putin supported Trump’s commitment to building a constructive Russia–US partnership and emphasized that Russia has no hostile plans toward Europe."
Perhaps the most important part of the Russian readout is seen in the following:
Trump said he wants a breakthrough on Ukraine during his presidency and stressed that ending the conflict could open the way to a major restoration of Russia–US relations.
The only additional information that the Kremlin aide provided was that Trump and Putin agreed that work through direct contact as well as diplomatic channels would "continue".
The Witkoff-Kushner trip had come a little under two weeks after CIA Director John Ratcliffe unexpectedly traveled to Moscow and reportedly floated a trilateral summit involving Trump, Putin, and Zelensky.
U.S. President Donald Trump told Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday in a phone call that he wanted a swift end to the war in Ukraine, something that would allow U.S.-Russia ties to be fully restored, the Kremlin said. —Reuters
The diplomatic push comes as intensifying attacks by both sides around the Black Sea raise the risk of a global food crisis next year. Meanwhile, Ukrainian attacks on Russian energy infrastructure, combined with disrupted Persian Gulf flows, are pushing the global refined-products market toward crisis, creating twin food and energy risks.
Reporter: On Ukraine, people are being kidnapped on the streets. Have you seen those videos? If you haven’t seen them, can I send them to your staff?
— Clash Report (@clashreport) September 2, 2026
Trump: Show them, and I will put them out. I know about the videos. I heard about it very strongly. pic.twitter.com/YPfJF8e7Up
Despite the public-facing Washington rhetoric, the Iran quagmire... war... "excursion" has not been going so well as the US seems desperate for a final exit and end to the war. So Trump likely wants a "win" ahead of the November midterm elections, hence the sudden revival of pushing Ukraine talks.