Putin, Trump hold phone call on Ukraine, bilateral ties on US Independence Day
Moscow, July 5 (IANS) Russian President Vladimir Putin held a telephone conversation with US President Donald Trump, according to Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov.
The United States is commemorating the 250th anniversary of the nation’s founding on Saturday, its Independence Day. Ushakov confirmed that Putin congratulated Trump on the holiday, reports Xinhua news agency.
“This conversation, the fourth such exchange this year, was naturally not merely a routine protocol exchange but business-focused and highly constructive. It allowed for a frank discussion of pressing issues on the bilateral and international agenda,” the presidential aide noted.
During the dialogue, Putin laid out the real battlefield situation, where Russian troops are advancing along the full line of contact. Ushakov stressed that European nations hold a flawed perception of the overall dynamics and ground realities along the contact line amid the Ukraine conflict.
On bilateral ties, the two presidents underscored the importance of sustaining consistent communication, including on military-political and economic fronts. “There exist vast prospects for mutually beneficial cooperation between our two nations in these spheres. Trump stressed that an early resolution to the Ukraine conflict would serve as a prerequisite to unlocking such cooperation,” Ushakov said.
Ushakov accused Kyiv and its European allies of “counting on extending and even escalating the conflict, and on terrorism against civilians.”
He was referring to Ukraine’s recent long-range strikes on Russian targets, mainly linked to the oil industry, which have triggered fuel shortages in several regions.
Meanwhile, Russia’s presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov on Saturday said that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky could travel to Moscow to meet President Putin once he is ready to make what the Kremlin described as important and responsible decisions, local media reported.
Speaking to Radio KP, Peskov commented on Zelensky’s proposal to meet Putin in Kostiantynivka, according to Russia’s state-run TASS news agency.
He said that Putin had expressed his willingness to host Zelensky in Moscow, noting that Moscow, and not Kostiantynivka, is the capital of Russia.
–IANS
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