Trump Again Offers to Help End Ukraine War During Fourth Call With Putin

With a key NATO summit just days away in Ankara, Turkey, Donald Trump is rushing to position himself as the ultimate peace broker for the war in Ukraine.

In a very calculated move, timed to come during the 250th Independence Day of the United States, Trump held back-to-back phone calls with Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The diplomatic dance is moving quickly, but public summaries emerging from Washington, Moscow and Kyiv offer radically different views of how this conflict might actually end.

The 90-Minute Phone Call With Putin

The Kremlin was quick to describe the hour-and-a-half phone call between Trump and Putin as “businesslike and highly constructive". Trump reiterated his willingness to facilitate a swift end to the fighting, said Yuri Ushakov, an adviser on foreign affairs to the Kremlin.

But Putin used much of the call to ratchet up Russia’s existing advantages:

Battle Status: Putin told Trump about the ground offensive in eastern Ukraine, using as an example the contested city of Kostyantynivka, where Russian troops are steadily advancing.

Accusing Europe: The Russian leader accused Ukraine’s European allies, whom he called the “party of war", of deliberately seeking to escalate and prolong the conflict. Any real peace deal must meet Russia's fundamental territorial demands in full, he insisted.

Zelenskyy’s twin drive

At almost the same time, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had his own call with Trump. Despite intense pressure, Zelenskyy came out of the talk sounding distinctly upbeat.

In a Telegram message, Zelenskyy said the conversation had been “very good” and that “there is a real prospect to end this war, and American resolve will be of crucial meaning.” Crucially, Zelenskyy said he and Trump have already agreed to cut out the intermediaries and continue their high-stakes negotiation face-to-face when they both arrive at the NATO summit in Turkey this week.

The Envoys Waiting

Trump has yet to issue a detailed public statement about either call, but the concrete mechanics of his peace plan are already taking shape behind the scenes.

The Kremlin confirmed that Trump’s main mediation team of special envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner is actively leading the diplomatic channel. The two envoys are reported to have suggested they are fully ready to make another official trip direct to Moscow as soon as the first discussions at the NATO summit are completed.

The Reality Check: The diplomatic optimism is still a long way from the reality on the ground, which remains incredibly messy. As Putin was telling Trump that Russian forces had taken the strategic stronghold of Kostyantynivka in order to secure the Donetsk region, Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian General Staff were vehemently denying the claim, publicly describing the announcement as “just another Russian lie".