Trump holds calls with Putin, Zelensky

MOSCOW — US President Donald Trump spoke with his Russian and Ukrainian counterparts Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday to discuss the conflict in Ukraine ahead of a NATO summit in Ankara, the Kremlin and Zelensky said.

The calls were both to mark the 250th birthday of the United States, both sides said.

"This conversation, the fourth such exchange this year, was naturally not merely a routine protocol exchange but business-focused and highly constructive," said Yury Ushakov, the Kremlin's foreign policy aide.

"It allowed for a frank discussion of pressing issues on the bilateral and international agenda," Ushakov said.

"The presidents naturally addressed the issue of a settlement in Ukraine, taking into account, in particular, Donald Trump's upcoming participation in the NATO summit in Turkiye on July 7 and 8," he said.

Ushakov said the two leaders also discussed issues including Iran and the Middle East during the 85-minute call.

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

On bilateral ties, Putin and Trump underscored the importance of sustaining consistent communication, including on military-political and economic fronts, he said.

"There exist vast prospects for mutually beneficial cooperation between our two nations in these spheres," he said. "Trump stressed that an early resolution to the Ukraine conflict would serve as a prerequisite to unlocking such cooperation."

Earlier on Saturday, Zelensky said he and Trump had also discussed the more than four years of conflict in Ukraine, calling it a "very good phone call".

"President Trump and I discussed the current situation on the frontline as well as our diplomatic efforts. There is a real prospect to put an end to this war, and America's resolve is decisive," he wrote on X.

"We have agreed to continue these discussions during the NATO summit in Ankara," he added.

Heads of state and delegations from 32 countries, including Trump, are expected to arrive in Ankara starting Tuesday for the summit.

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On the front lines, Putin said on Friday that Russian forces have completed the "full liberation" of the Lugansk People's Republic.

The elimination of Ukrainian military formations continues across the territories of the Donetsk People's Republic, as well as the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, he added.

Also on Friday, Russia said its forces had taken full control of the city of Konstantinovka in eastern Ukraine.

"The main news is that Konstantinovka has been completely taken," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted by RIA Novosti as saying on Friday. The city is a key stronghold located in Donetsk.

Following the announcement, Putin said on Friday that the capture "carries great strategic significance", while visiting one of the temporary command posts of the joint force grouping.

However, Ukraine denied on Saturday Russia's announcement. Ukrainian army spokesman Andriy Kovalyov told Agence France-Presse that Konstantinovka remained under its control, while Zelensky dismissed Moscow's announcement as "a lie".

"The situation remains difficult", Kovalyov said, but the city "is under the control of the Ukrainian Defense Forces".

The conflicting claims came after Russia also said Ukrainian drones had struck its second-largest city, St. Petersburg, and the surrounding region.

St. Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov said the city of 6 million had been subjected to a "large-scale" drone attack, with the city's oil terminal struck. He said there were no casualties and that the aftermath of the attack had been dealt with.

Alexander Drozdenko, governor of the surrounding Leningrad Region, said a drone had struck the area of Vysotsk Port, about 170 kilometers northwest of St. Petersburg on the Baltic Sea. The port handles oil, grain, coal and liquefied natural gas.

Drozdenko said 72 drones had been shot down over the region, and there was minor damage in several settlements.

In Moscow, Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said air defense forces had shot down 28 drones targeting the capital since the beginning of Friday.

In his latest update, Sobyanin said eight more drones heading toward Moscow were shot down on Friday night.

"Emergency service crews are working at the debris site," he said.

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