Putin, Trump hold phone call on Ukraine, bilateral ties on US Independence Day

MOSCOW - Russian President Vladimir Putin held a telephone conversation with US President Donald Trump on Saturday, according to Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov.

The United States is commemorating the 250th anniversary of the nation's founding on Saturday, its Independence Day. Ushakov confirmed that Putin congratulated Trump on the holiday.

"This conversation, the fourth such exchange this year, was naturally not merely a routine protocol exchange but business-focused and highly constructive. It allowed for a frank discussion of pressing issues on the bilateral and international agenda," the presidential aide noted.

During the dialogue, Putin laid out the real battlefield situation, where Russian troops are advancing along the full line of contact. Ushakov stressed that European nations hold a flawed perception of the overall dynamics and ground realities along the contact line amid the Ukraine conflict.

On bilateral ties, the two presidents underscored the importance of sustaining consistent communication, including on military-political and economic fronts. "There exist vast prospects for mutually beneficial cooperation between our two nations in these spheres. Trump stressed that an early resolution to the Ukraine conflict would serve as a prerequisite to unlocking such cooperation," Ushakov said.