US President Donald Trump spoke with Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky late Saturday to discuss the conflict in Ukraine ahead of a NATO summit in Ankara. Negotiations remain at an impasse, with Moscow demanding the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from Ukraine’s Donetsk region – a demand Kyiv rejects. Follow our liveblog for the latest updates.
One person killed in the border Bryansk region and another in Russian-annexed Crimea.
Moscow said one person was killed in the border Bryansk region and another in Russian-annexed Crimea.
Authorities in the border Belgorod region said “infrastructure facilities” had been damaged by the attacks, leading to “disruptions to electricity and water supply.”
Trump offers to help Putin find deal with Ukraine, also speaks with Zelenskiy
US President Donald Trump, speaking to Russian leader Vladimir Putin by telephone for nearly 90 minutes, offered to help find a solution to the Ukraine war, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said in comments made public early on Sunday.
Ushakov said Trump made the offer during the call on Saturday, US Independence Day, in the context of his participation next week at the NATO summit in Turkey.
“The American president once again confirmed his readiness to work towards a rapid end to the fighting and find solutions to overcome the crisis,” Ushakov said of Trump’s call with the Russian president.
Ushakov, who described the conversation as “business-like and quite constructive,” said Russia sought “a political-diplomatic resolution of the conflict, with due account of Russia’s fundamental approach.”
Negotiations are at the moment at an impasse, with Moscow demanding the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from the entire Donetsk region – a demand Kyiv rejects.
Ukraine’s Zelensky says he spoke to Trump, calls for ‘American resolve’ to help end war
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday that he had spoken to US President Donald Trump on the Fourth of July holiday and called for “American resolve” to help end the more than four-year-old war with Russia.
Zelenskiy said he had a “very good” conversation with Trump, discussing the situation on the front line.
“There is a real prospect to end this war and American resolve will have a crucial meaning,” he said.
Zelenskiy said he and Trump had agreed to “continue our conversation” at next week’s NATO summit in Turkey.
Ukraine denies Moscow claim of seizing strategic stronghold
Ukraine denied Saturday Moscow’s announcement that Russian forces had captured the strategic Ukrainian city of Kostyantynivka, a stronghold for Kyiv’s troops in the eastern Donetsk region and a key target for the Kremlin.
A Ukrainian army spokesman told AFP the city remained under its control, while President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed Moscow’s announcement as “a lie”, with the duelling claims coming after Russia also said Ukrainian drones had struck its second city, St Petersburg.
“The situation remains difficult,” Ukrainian army spokesman Andriy Kovalyov told AFP, but Kostyantynivka “is under the control of the Ukrainian Defence Forces”.
