According to reports from July 5, a senior US official says that after President Trump meets with Ukraine’s President Zelensky in Turkey, he is expected to get back in touch with Russian President Putin.
The White House confirmed that during the NATO summit, Trump plans to sit down with Zelensky and Syria’s transitional government president, Ahmad al-Shara, on July 8.
White House spokesperson Anna Kelly confirmed these meetings and also hinted that Trump intends to meet with Turkey’s President Erdogan on July 7 during the summit.
On July 4, US Independence Day, both Zelensky and Putin had phone calls with Trump.
After the call, Zelensky posted on social media that he and Trump discussed the front-line situation, noting that analysts believe Russia’s advance has slowed down. He also mentioned that Ukraine has stepped up attacks on Moscow, showcasing its ability to strike deep into Russian territory.
Zelensky said, “There is a real prospect of ending this conflict,” and added that these talks would continue at the NATO summit.
On July 5, Russian presidential aide Ushakov shared that the call between Putin and Trump lasted about 1 hour and 25 minutes. Putin outlined the situation in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, emphasizing that Russian forces are launching offensives across the front line.
Ushakov mentioned that Trump reiterated during the call his commitment to pushing for a swift end to military actions, seeking a peaceful resolution to the Ukraine crisis. Trump’s envoy, Witkoff, and his son-in-law, Kushner, will continue mediating and may visit Moscow at an appropriate time.
He said, “This call was initiated by the US side on the 250th anniversary of American independence, which speaks volumes. The two leaders agreed to stay in touch and will speak again soon.”
On July 5, a US senior official stated that Trump feels a sense of urgency to end the conflict and will discuss with Zelensky how to achieve that goal. The official expects Trump to communicate with Putin again after this meeting.
The report noted that the official did not provide any details about the goals of Trump’s meeting with al-Shara.
Previously, Trump had repeatedly suggested that Syria should deal with Hezbollah. But al-Shara indicated he has no interest in that, implying that Trump’s remarks might have been misunderstood.
