Trump Offers Ukraine Mediation in 90-Minute Putin Call as Zelensky Cites 1,200km Frontline
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Jul 5
Trump Offers Ukraine Mediation in 90-Minute Putin Call as Zelensky Cites 1,200km Frontline
3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Jul 5
Summary
A 90-minute Trump-Putin call produced a fresh US offer to help end the Ukraine war, with the Kremlin saying Trump backed a rapid halt to fighting before next week’s NATO summit in Turkey.
Zelenskyy said his separate call with Trump was “very good” and focused on the war’s 1,200km frontline, adding they agreed to continue talks at the summit.
Diplomatic messaging was undercut by battlefield disputes: Putin said Russian troops seized Kostyantynivka, but Kyiv said the city of 78,000 remains under Ukrainian control despite Russian infiltration.
The contacts came as Ukraine expanded long-range strikes into Russia, hitting sites around St Petersburg; Moscow said it downed almost 500 drones overnight and reported damage and two deaths in border areas.
That escalation followed a Russian strike on Kyiv this week that killed 30 people, underscoring how Trump’s peacemaking push is colliding with intensifying attacks on both sides.