In sixth call since January, Putin tells Trump: Russia ‘will not step back from goals' in Ukraine
On the war in Ukraine, Putin's top foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov said Trump 'again emphasised the importance of a quick cessation of hostilities.' Putin, meanwhile, reiterated Moscow's position that it is ready for talks with Kyiv, but under conditions that would secure what he called Russia's 'goals' in Ukraine. These include Ukraine's withdrawal from its NATO bid and recognition of territory Russia has seized since its 2022 invasion.
Putin repeated claims that Russia invaded to fend off NATO expansion and defend Russian-speaking populations — assertions flatly rejected by Kyiv and the West.
While Thursday's call made no mention of recent US policy changes, it came amid the Pentagon's confirmation that it is pausing some weapons shipments to Ukraine to reassess military stockpiles. The delayed supplies reportedly include air defense missiles and precision-guided artillery.
On Iran, Ushakov said the Russian president stressed the need to resolve tensions 'by political and diplomatic means.' The call came just days after US airstrikes on June 22 targeted three locations inside Iran.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, speaking in Denmark after a meeting with EU leaders, said he expects to speak with Trump 'in the coming days' about the implications of the pause.
'I'm not sure that they have a lot of common ideas, common topics to talk [about], because they are very different people,' Zelenskyy said when asked what he expected from the Trump-Putin exchange.
The latest call adds to a string of resumed high-level contacts between Trump and Putin, signaling their shared interest in thawing US-Russia relations, which have deteriorated dramatically since Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The conversation also came just two days after Putin spoke directly with French President Emmanuel Macron — their first call in nearly three years.
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'If such a situation arises, China will firmly strike back to protect its own legitimate rights and interests,' she added, repeating a familiar warning. Olson cautioned against relying too much on the US-Vietnam trade agreement as a blueprint for assessing Washington's approach to China. The stakes in US-China negotiations are significantly higher, shaped by strategic rivalry and a wider set of geopolitical considerations. There is also much less of a power discrepancy in the US-China discussions. 'One important takeaway for China from both the Vietnam deal and the previous deal with the UK is that the US intends to use these negotiations to apply pressure on China,' Olson said. 'This could lead China to a much more sober assessment of what it might be possible to achieve with the US in these negotiations.'
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Harvard warns foreign students on airport scrutiny, social media posts
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16 minutes ago
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If you take a gun to culture, you kill the human spirit
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