President Trump held separate calls with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday to discuss ending the war in Ukraine.
The calls took place as a Ukrainian attack on Russian-occupied Crimea left one person dead and two others injured, with Russia-installed regional Gov. Sergei Aksyonov writing on Telegram that one of the injured was in serious condition and that he did not provide details of the attack.
Writing on X, Zelenskyy said he called to congratulate Mr. Trump to mark the 250th anniversary of American independence and that the two leaders discussed the situation along the front line. "There is a real prospect of ending this war, and America's determination will be crucial. We agreed to continue the conversation in person during the NATO summit in Ankara," he said.
The Kremlin said Putin and Mr. Trump discussed the conflict in a "constructive" phone call. Kremlin foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov said Putin congratulated Mr. Trump and the American people on the 250th anniversary during a call that lasted nearly an hour and half and was their fourth conversation so far this year.
Ushakov said Mr. Trump reaffirmed his "readiness to help achieve a quick cessation of hostilities and search for peaceful solutions to settle the crisis," and that Mr. Trump's envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will continue mediation efforts and stand ready to visit Moscow.
Ushakov said Putin emphasized Russia's "preference for a diplomatic settlement of the conflict, provided that Russia's well-known, fundamental positions are taken into account," and charged that Kyiv and its European allies are "betting on prolonging, and even escalating the conflict," arguing that "the European 'party of war' proceeds from a flawed perception of the overall situation and the state of things along the line of contact." He added that Putin told Mr. Trump about the "real situation on the battlefield, where Russian armed forces are confidently advancing, liberating one settlement after another," and specifically mentioned the capture of the Ukrainian stronghold of Kostyantynivka as a key step toward the "liberation" of the entire Donetsk region.
Kyiv denied the Russian claim of capturing Kostyantynivka. Ukraine's General Staff reiterated in a statement on Telegram that the embattled city remains under Ukrainian control, and Zelenskyy called the Russian claim "just another Russian lie."