Overview
- Both leaders phoned President Trump on Sunday, with the Kremlin describing Putin’s roughly 55-minute call as “friendly and candid” and Ukraine saying Zelensky discussed peace plans and agreed to press the issue at the G7.
- The Kremlin quoted Trump as saying a U.S.-Iran memorandum is close to announcement and said U.S. special representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will return to Russia soon.
- Zelensky said he offered to meet Putin at the G7 in France but reported that Russia was not ready to engage, and he intends to use the summit to seek more air defenses and diplomatic pressure.
- Hours after the calls, Russian drone and missile strikes hit Ukrainian cities, killing civilians and underscoring that fighting and diplomatic moves are continuing in parallel.
- Coverage differs in detail and tone: Kremlin briefings gave a detailed readout of Putin’s call while the White House offered no comparable public statement, and analysts note shuttle diplomacy has so far failed to restart stalled multilateral talks.