Overview
- The Kremlin published the full text of Vladimir Putin’s congratulatory telegram to President Donald Trump, using informal language and framing Russia and the United States as bearers of special responsibility for global security.
- Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said a nearly 90‑minute phone call on Saturday, July 4, saw Trump offer to help find a solution to the war in Ukraine and confirm that his special envoys remain ready to mediate.
- Ukraine and its military publicly rejected Kremlin claims cited in the call that Russian forces have captured Kostiantynivka, saying Russian statements exaggerate battlefield gains while Ukrainian forces conduct counter‑sabotage operations in the area.
- The Institute for the Study of War reported that Moscow likely ran a targeted information campaign to amplify claims of battlefield progress before the Putin‑Trump call in an apparent effort to influence U.S. perceptions.
- The U.S. administration has not publicly confirmed the Kremlin’s account, and Russian statements say envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff are prepared to return to Moscow with diplomacy expected to be discussed further at the upcoming NATO summit in Turkey.