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Zelenskyy and Putin hold Fourth of July phone calls with Trump

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks during the Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Thursday, June 18, 2026.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks during the Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Thursday, June 18, 2026. Copyright  Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Copyright Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
By Nathan Rennolds
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Yuri Ushakov, a Russian presidential aide, said Putin and Trump discussed "the issue of the Ukrainian settlement" in a phone call that lasted an hour and twenty-five minutes.

US President Donald Trump spoke with the leaders of both Ukraine and Russia on Saturday amid the US's Fourth of July celebrations, Kyiv and Moscow said.

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he had a "very good phone call" with Trump, in which he congratulated the US on its 250th birthday and discussed the current situation on the front lines of the war in Ukraine.

Zelenskyy added that there was a "real prospect" of ending the conflict and that he and Trump had agreed to continue their talks during the upcoming NATO Summit in Ankara, which is set to take place from 7 to 8 July.

Zelenskyy and Trump have endured an up and down relationship since the latter's return to the White House, marked most notably by a heated Oval Office exchange in early 2025. Last month, however, Trump sang Zelenskyy's praises, calling his Ukrainian counterpart "courageous" and saying he was "doing pretty well" in the war against Russia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin also spoke with Trump on Saturday, the Kremlin announced.

In a statement, Yuri Ushakov, a presidential aide, said Putin offered his congratulations to Trump on the American holiday in a phone call that lasted an hour and twenty-five minutes.

"The Presidents naturally touched upon the issue of the Ukrainian settlement, including in light of Donald Trump’s forthcoming participation in the NATO summit in Turkey on 7–8 July," he said.

He added that Trump had "reaffirmed his readiness to facilitate the earliest possible cessation of hostilities and the search for peaceful solutions to overcome the crisis".

It comes after Russia launched a major attack on Kyiv earlier this week, killing at least 30 people and injuring dozens more. On Friday evening, Ukrainian forces carried out their own strikes on oil infrastructure sites near the Russian city of Saint Petersburg.

Russian President Vladimir Putin listens to President and Chairman of the Management Board of VTB Bank Andrey Kostin at the Kremlin in Moscow, Friday, July 3, 2026.
Russian President Vladimir Putin listens to President and Chairman of the Management Board of VTB Bank Andrey Kostin at the Kremlin in Moscow, Friday, July 3, 2026. Sputnik

The 2026 NATO summit will see allies convene to discuss a range of defence-related topics, including investment, industry, and support for Kyiv.

NATO members agreed in 2025 to invest 5% of GDP in defence by the year 2035, with 3.5% going to core defence requirements and 1.5% to broader defence- and security-related investments.

Trump has long been critical of his European allies' defence spending and has repeatedly called for them to invest more into their own security.

Allies will be hoping to use the Turkey summit to cool tensions with Trump, which have mounted over the Iran war and the US's pursuit of Greenland.

Speaking from Brussels in June, US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth said Europe must take the lead on building a revamped "NATO 3.0" and creating a "real, hardline military alliance".

"NATO 3.0 is post-Cold War recognition that needs to go back to a real, hardline military alliance that has real military capabilities capable of deterring right here on the continent and taking the lead for the conventional defence of Europe," Hegseth said.

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