Staff Correspondent, Dhaka:
Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump held an “extremely frank” phone conversation following recent diplomatic visits by US envoys to Moscow and Kyiv, highlighting continued high-level engagement but little evidence of a breakthrough in the Ukraine war.
Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said the hour-long discussion focused on the outcome of meetings involving US envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner with Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Putin reportedly gave Trump a detailed assessment of the battlefield and outlined what he believed Washington could realistically do to accelerate an end to hostilities.
The exchange suggests that Washington and Moscow remain engaged in exploring a possible diplomatic pathway, but the fundamental obstacles to a settlement appear largely unchanged. Russia continues to demand territorial concessions from Ukraine, including areas in the east that its forces have yet to capture. Kyiv’s position on territorial sovereignty remains a major barrier to any agreement.
The conversation also carried a broader security dimension. Putin rejected suggestions that Russia has aggressive intentions toward European countries, arguing that claims of a Russian threat are being used to justify increased European military spending and support for Ukraine.
Those assurances come amid continued Western concern over Moscow’s intentions and reports of high-level US-Russia security contacts, including a recent visit to Moscow by CIA Director John Ratcliffe.
The latest Putin-Trump engagement therefore points to sustained diplomatic communication, but the absence of an immediate breakthrough underscores the difficulty of narrowing the gap between Moscow, Kyiv and Washington.
