In call with Trump, Putin says Russia ‘will not give up its objectives’ in Ukraine

“Russia Will not Abandon Ukraine Objectives, Open to Negotiations,” Putin informs Trump.

Vladimir Putin spoke with his American counterpart, Donald Trump. During this telephone conversation, the Russian president stated that Russia “will not abandon its objectives” in Ukraine, while expressing his openness to continuing negotiations with Kyiv. This discussion between the two men, the sixth since the Republican billionaire’s return to the White House, came the day after Washington announced the cessation of certain arms deliveries to Ukraine, more than three and a half years after the start of the Russian offensive.
This decision by its main military equipment supplier risks putting kyiv in a difficult position at a time when Russian troops continue to advance on the front lines. During a visit to Denmark on Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on Europeans to increase their support in the face of what appears to be a US disengagement.
The exchange between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump on Thursday, which lasted about an hour, was described to reporters as “frank” by Kremlin diplomatic adviser Yuri Ushakov. They discussed the conflict in Ukraine and the situation in the Middle East, as well as relations between their two countries. Donald Trump acknowledged that he had made “no progress” with his Russian counterpart.
Russia “continues to seek a political and negotiated solution to the conflict” with Ukraine, the Russian president told his counterpart, according to Yuri Ushakov. Vladimir Putin “underscored the Russian side’s willingness to continue the negotiation process” begun in Istanbul, where two direct Russian-Ukrainian talks recently took place, with limited results. “Our president also stated that Russia would pursue its goals, namely the elimination of the well-known root causes that led to the current situation,” Yuri Ushakov insisted. “And Russia will not abandon these objectives,” he added.

Ukraine, Iran, Syria, etc.

Moscow is demanding that Ukraine cede four partially occupied regions, in addition to Crimea, annexed in 2014, and renounce NATO membership. These conditions are unacceptable to Kyiv. The two presidents also discussed conflicts in the Middle East, including the recent war between Iran and Israel and Syria, with the Russian head of state advocating for a settlement “exclusively through political and diplomatic means,” according to Yuri Ushakov.
The two presidents “confirmed their mutual interest in implementing a series of promising economic projects, particularly in the fields of energy and space research,” he noted. Since returning to power, Donald Trump has made an unexpected rapprochement with Moscow, resuming contact with Vladimir Putin and sometimes going so far as to blame Ukraine for the current situation.
Donald Trump recently expressed frustration at the lack of progress in finding a solution to this conflict, which he had promised to resolve quickly. On Tuesday, French President Emmanuel Macron spoke by phone with Vladimir Putin for the first time since 2022, opposing the European policy of isolating the Kremlin. Kyiv and its Western allies have been calling for a ceasefire in Ukraine for months, but Moscow has refused, believing that a pause in the fighting would give the Ukrainians the opportunity to rearm thanks to Western supplies.