Russia ‘will not back down’ on Ukraine war goals, Putin tells Trump

Russian president says aboriginal talks request to beryllium betwixt Kyiv and Moscow amid signs second does not privation US involvement.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has told his United States counterpart, Donald Trump, that Moscow volition not springiness up connected its extremity of eliminating the “root causes” of the warfare successful Ukraine.

“Russia volition not backmost down,” Kremlin adjutant Yuri Ushakov told reporters though helium added that Putin had besides expressed a “readiness” to “seek a governmental and negotiated solution to the conflict” during his one-hour telephone speech with Trump connected Thursday.

The operation “root causes” is shorthand for the Kremlin’s statement that it was compelled to motorboat a full-scale penetration of Ukraine successful 2022 to forestall the state from joining NATO and being utilized by the Western confederation arsenic a launchpad to onslaught Russia – arguments rejected by Kyiv and its allies but supported successful portion by Trump.

Trump said aft the telephone that helium had made “no progress” with Putin connected moving towards a ceasefire, adding that helium was “not happy” astir the warfare successful Ukraine.

The telephone call, their sixth since Trump started his 2nd word successful January, came the time aft the Pentagon confirmed it was halting immoderate weapons deliveries to Kyiv, including aerial defence missiles and precision-guided artillery. They were promised nether President Joe Biden’s administration. The announcement was made arsenic Russia has intensified its attacks connected Ukraine

Trump and Putin did not broach the taxable of the paused weapons deliveries, according to the Kremlin aide, who said the US president had raised the contented of bringing astir a swift extremity to the war.

While the imaginable of a face-to-face gathering was not discussed, the 2 leaders agreed to support talking.

Although Trump has tried to mediate successful the Ukraine war, helium has small advancement to amusement for it. Putin has frankincense acold rejected Washington’s connection for an unconditional ceasefire, and determination was thing successful the Kremlin readout to suggest immoderate displacement successful his position. Ukraine supported the proposal.

Ushakov said that portion Russia was unfastened to continuing to talk with the US, immoderate bid negotiations needed to hap betwixt Moscow and Kyiv.

He made the remark amid immoderate indications that Moscow is trying to debar a trilateral format for immoderate bid negotiations. Ukrainian officials person said Russian negotiators asked US diplomats to permission the country during a gathering successful Istanbul successful aboriginal June.

Putin and Trump past talked successful mid-June erstwhile Putin offered to mediate successful the caller 12-day Iran-Israel war. Trump responded to Putin’s connection by switching the absorption backmost to Ukraine, saying: “No, I don’t request assistance with Iran. I request assistance with you.”

Ushakov said that during Thursday’s call, Putin emphasised the request to resoluteness each “disputes, disagreements and struggle situations” regarding Iran done diplomatic means.

The US waded into the Israel-Iran struggle past month, bombing 3 of Iran’s atomic sites, a determination condemned by Moscow arsenic unprovoked and illegal.

Earlier connected Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met European Union leaders successful Denmark, saying doubts implicit US subject assistance to Ukraine reinforced the request to “strengthen our practice and coordination done the EU, NATO and besides successful our nonstop relations”.

Trump has successful effect nixed Ukraine’s attempts to articulation the NATO subject alliance.

Zelenskyy told reporters helium hopes to talk to Trump arsenic soon arsenic Friday astir the intermission successful weapons shipments.