Trump offers to help end Russia-Ukraine war in Putin call, Kremlin says

Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov says Trump made the offer during a nearly 90-minute phone call with the Russian president.US President Donald Trump has offered to help Russian President Vladimir Putin find a solution to the Ukraine war, Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov said.Ushakov said that Trump made the offer during a nearly 90-minute phone call on Saturday to discuss the war in Ukraine ahead of a NATO summit in Ankara.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Russia’s advance collapses in Ukraine, ‘40,000’ troops killed in Junelist 2 of 4Trump lauds Americans in storm-delayed 250th anniversary speechlist 3 of 4Ukraine hits oil and military facilities near Russia’s St Petersburglist 4 of 4Russia claims it captured the strategic key Ukrainian city of Kostiantynivkend of list“The American president once again confirmed his readiness to work towards a rapid end to the fighting and find solutions to overcome the crisis,” Ushakov said in comments released on Sunday.Ushakov, who described the conversation as “businesslike and quite constructive”, ‌said Russia sought “a political-diplomatic resolution of the conflict, with due account of Russia’s fundamental approach”.Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that he also spoke to Trump on Saturday.The Ukrainian president said he and Trump discussed the war’s 1,200-km (745-mile) front line.“There is a real prospect to end this war and American resolve will have a crucial meaning,” he wrote on Telegram. He said they agreed to continue talks at the NATO summit next week.Heads of state from 32 countries, including Trump, are expected in Ankara starting on Tuesday for the summit on July 7 and 8.On the front lines, both sides have made little progress in recent months, largely due to the use of drones, which hinder heavy vehicles and inflict losses.Ushakov accused Kyiv and its European allies of “counting on extending and even escalating the conflict, and on terrorism against civilians”.He was referring to Ukraine’s long-range attacks on Russian targets, mainly linked to the oil industry, which have triggered fuel shortages in several Russian regions.