Kremlin adviser Yuri Ushakov said early Sunday that US President Donald Trump offered during a phone conversation with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, which lasted about 90 minutes, assistance in finding a solution to the war in Ukraine.

Ushakov added that Trump made this offer in the context of his participation this week in the NATO summit in Turkey. The US president was quoted as saying that US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would continue their efforts to mediate a settlement, and they are ready to make another visit to Moscow, according to Reuters.

He said: 'The US president reaffirmed his readiness to work to quickly end the fighting and find solutions to overcome the crisis.' Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he also spoke to Trump. Ushakov described the conversation between Putin and Trump as 'very substantive and constructive,' adding that Moscow seeks a 'political and diplomatic resolution to the conflict, taking into account Russia's fundamental approach.'

Ushakov accused Kyiv and its European allies of 'relying on prolonging and even escalating the conflict, and on terrorism against civilians.' He was referring to long-range Ukrainian strikes on Russian targets, mainly linked to the oil sector, which caused fuel shortages in several Russian regions. Ushakov said Putin 'described the real situation on the battlefield where the Russian armed forces are confidently advancing, liberating one region after another.'

Russian military leaders informed Putin on Friday that Russian forces had captured the strategically important city of Kostiantynivka in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine. Zelensky and the Ukrainian General Staff denied this claim on Saturday, saying Ukrainian forces still control the city. Russia indicated that any solution must include Moscow's full control over the Ukrainian Donbas region. Ukraine rejects this, and Zelensky urged Putin last month to hold a bilateral meeting with him, but the Russian president refused.

The two US envoys

Ushakov quoted Trump as saying that US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would continue their attempts to mediate a settlement, and they are ready to make another visit to Moscow. US diplomatic efforts have effectively stalled as Washington focuses on the war with Iran. Ushakov said that during the conversation, Putin expressed hope that US diplomatic efforts in the conflict with Iran would lead to 'the achievement of mutually acceptable long-term solutions on key issues of the settlement,' and Ushakov added that Putin also reminded Trump that his invitation to visit Moscow still stands.

Zelensky, in a post on his Telegram account, described his conversation with the US president as 'very good,' and it included a discussion about the 1,200-kilometer front line. He said: 'There is a real chance to end this war, and American determination will be decisive.' Zelensky added that he agreed with Trump to continue discussions during the NATO meeting. "); googletag.cmd.push(function() { onDvtagReady(function () { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-3341368-4'); }); }); }