Putin assured Trump that Russia is not planning to attack Europe, Kremlin aide says

Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump spoke by phone on Tuesday following a visit to Moscow and Kyiv by Trump envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner over the weekend. The conversation lasted about an hour and was “constructive and frank”, Putin’s aide Yury Ushakov told reporters.

Trump stressed the need to bring Russia’s war against Ukraine to an end as soon as possible, according to Ushakov’s account of the call. He said ending the conflict would allow Moscow and Washington to restore trade and economic ties, and that he wanted to achieve a breakthrough before the end of his presidential term.

Putin, for his part, endorsed the idea of a “constructive partnership” between Russia and the United States. He briefed Trump on Russia’s assessment of the situation on the front line and outlined what he believed Washington could do to help end the war, though Ushakov did not specify what proposals Putin had raised.

The two leaders also discussed media reports about alleged Russian plans to attack Europe. “Given the speculation about Russia supposedly having hostile intentions toward European states, it was emphasised that we have no aggressive plans whatsoever toward Europe,” Ushakov said, relaying Putin’s remarks.

Putin and Trump also agreed to continue working on “resolving humanitarian issues, including exchanges of detainees and convicts”, Ushakov said. He did not give any details on when further exchanges might take place or how many people could be involved.