Trump steps up Ukraine peace push with back-to-back Putin and Zelenskyy calls

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump renewed his efforts to broker an end to the war in Ukraine by holding separate phone calls with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, as fresh fighting erupted in Russian-occupied Crimea.

The back-to-back conversations highlighted the sharply different positions of Moscow and Kyiv while underscoring Trump's continued role in pushing for negotiations as the conflict enters its fifth year.

The calls came as Russian-installed officials in Crimea reported that a Ukrainian strike killed one person and injured two others. The renewed violence unfolded just as Trump engaged both wartime leaders in separate discussions focused on ending the conflict.

Vladimir Putin reiterates Moscow's peace conditions

According to the Kremlin, Putin's nearly 90-minute conversation with Trump was "constructive" and included congratulations to the United States on its 250th Independence Day.

Kremlin foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov said Trump reiterated his willingness to help secure a rapid end to hostilities and continue pursuing a negotiated settlement.

Ushakov added that Putin emphasized Russia remained open to diplomacy but insisted that any agreement must reflect Moscow's "well-known, fundamental positions."

The Kremlin also said Putin argued that Ukraine and several European allies were prolonging the conflict while claiming Russian forces continued making gains along the front line.

Among those claims was Russia's assertion that it had captured the strategic city of Kostyantynivka in the Donetsk region.

Ukraine, however, rejected that claim, with its General Staff stating the city remained under Kyiv's control.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomes continued US engagement 

Following his conversation with Trump, Zelensky posted on X that he had congratulated the president on America's 250th anniversary before discussing the latest battlefield developments.

"There is a real prospect of ending this war, and America's determination will be crucial," Zelensky wrote, adding that the two leaders agreed to continue discussions in person during the upcoming NATO summit in Ankara.

The diplomatic outreach coincided with intensified Ukrainian strikes targeting infrastructure across Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014.

Russian authorities recently declared a state of emergency in parts of the peninsula after repeated attacks disrupted fuel supplies and military logistics.

While Moscow projected confidence after Trump's call with Putin, Kyiv used its conversation with the US president to stress that continued American leadership remained essential to achieving what it described as a lasting peace, highlighting the contrasting approaches each side presented as diplomatic efforts continue.