Trump speaks with Putin and Zelensky ahead of NATO summit in Ankara

US President Donald Trump has spoken separately with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky ahead of the NATO summit in Ankara. The calls came as diplomacy around the war in Ukraine continued alongside preparations for the gathering in Turkey. According to the accounts provided by Moscow and Kyiv, Ukraine was a central topic in both conversations.

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The Kremlin said the discussion between Mr Trump and Mr Putin touched on a possible settlement in Ukraine and on Mr Trump's planned participation in the NATO summit on 7 and 8 July. Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov said the American president had again confirmed his readiness to work towards a rapid end to the fighting and to seek ways to overcome the crisis. He also said the 85-minute call covered Iran and the Middle East.

Mr Zelensky said he and Mr Trump discussed the current situation on the front line and diplomatic efforts, describing the exchange as a very good phone call. He said there was a real prospect of ending the war and that America's resolve was decisive. Mr Zelensky added that the two leaders had agreed to continue the discussions during the NATO summit in Ankara.

The calls matter because they came just before a major alliance meeting involving leaders and delegations from 32 countries. The summit is expected to bring together Mr Trump and other heads of state at a time when the war in Ukraine remains a central security issue for Europe and the wider transatlantic alliance. Any sign of direct engagement between Washington, Moscow and Kyiv is likely to draw close attention from allies seeking to understand whether there is room for renewed diplomacy.

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The Kremlin also said Mr Trump told Mr Putin that Washington's envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would continue trying to broker a settlement and could make another visit to Moscow. Mr Ushakov accused Kyiv and its European allies of counting on extending and even escalating the conflict, while also referring to Ukraine's long-range strikes on Russian targets, mainly linked to the oil industry. He said Mr Putin described the battlefield as one where Russian forces were advancing and taking one locality after another.

There was also a dispute over Russian claims that its forces had captured the city of Kostiantynivka in eastern Ukraine. Russian commanders told Mr Putin on Friday that the city had been taken, but Mr Zelensky and Ukraine's General Staff rejected that account and said Kyiv still controlled it. It was not immediately possible to verify the competing claims.

The main question now is whether the Ankara summit produces any further contact or concrete diplomatic movement, and whether the separate conversations lead to any follow-up talks on Ukraine, Iran or the Middle East.

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