Trump Presses Putin for Swift End to Ukraine War — SkimNews
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- Donald Trump told Vladimir Putin by phone on Tuesday (Sep 8) he wanted a swift end to the Ukraine war, which would "immediately open up prospects" for full US-Russia ties including trade, per Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov
- Putin supported Trump's view, told him what the US could do to help end the conflict and gave an assessment of the current battlefield situation, according to Ushakov
- The hour-long call followed a weekend Moscow-Kyiv visit by US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to revive stalled talks — both leaders rated that diplomacy "with a plus sign," Ushakov said
- The envoys' weekend trip raised the possibility that three-way talks between Russia, Ukraine and the US could be resumed, though the Kremlin made no mention of that prospect in its readout of the Trump-Putin call
- Russia remained intent on taking full control of the rest of the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine, something Kyiv has vowed to fiercely oppose with every weapon at its disposal
- Putin also told Trump Russia had "absolutely no aggressive plans whatsoever towards Europe," with Ushakov calling European claims of a Russian threat a "myth" used to justify increased military spending
- Trump and Putin agreed on the need to continue prisoner exchanges and to stay in touch by phone, Ushakov said, describing the conversation as constructive
Why it matters: Despite Trump's stated urgency, the call produced no public breakthrough: the Kremlin omitted the three-way talks possibility from its readout, and Russia's core demand — full Donetsk — is something Kyiv has vowed to keep fighting against. With both sides escalating attacks in recent months, "swift" still depends on whether Moscow's conditions can be reconciled with Ukraine's red lines.
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