Russia says Putin, Trump had ‘frank’ call after US envoys visit

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(COMBO) This combination of pictures created on March 18, 2025 shows President Donald Trump (L) on the phone on January 28, 2017 in Washington, and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin (R) on the phone Moscow on December 27, 2023. The Kremlin said a highly-anticipated phone call between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump will take place between 1300 GMT and 1500 GMT on March 18, 2025 and that the pair will discuss Ukraine and the “normalisation” of US-Russian ties. (Photo by Drew ANGERER and Gavriil GRIGOROV / various sources / AFP)

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Russian President Vladimir Putin and US counterpart Donald Trump had an “extremely frank” phone call on Tuesday, after US negotiators visited Moscow over the weekend, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters, including AFP.

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Steve Witkoff, who is Trump’s business ally, and Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law, visited the Russian and Ukrainian capitals at the weekend for talks with both Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

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In a one-hour call on Tuesday, Putin and Trump “exchanged views on the outcome of the visits”, Ushakov said.

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The talks brought no immediate breakthrough in the four-and-a-half-year war that is Europe’s bloodiest conflict since World War II.

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Ushakov said Putin presented to Trump an “objective and detailed analysis” of the frontline situation.

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The Kremlin leader routinely says his troops are advancing across the entire front, with the capture of the entire eastern Donbas a matter of time.

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He also “pointed out what the Americans could realistically do to bring the hostilities to a swift conclusion,” Ushakov said, without elaborating.

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Moscow has shown no signs of dropping its maximalist conditions to end the war, including a demand that Ukraine cede territory in the east that Russia’s troops have not captured.

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Putin also told Trump that Russia had “no aggressive plans” towards Europe, Ushakov said.

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The Kremlin has over the summer been accused of ratcheting up a sabotage campaign against Ukraine’s European backers — accusations it has denied.

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“In view of the speculation regarding Russia’s alleged hostile intentions towards European states, it was emphasised that we have absolutely no aggressive plans whatsoever towards Europe,” Ushakov said.

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“The myths being spread about the Russian threat serve as a pretext for Europeans to ramp up support for Ukraine and their own military spending,” he added.

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Fuelling the concerns over Russia’s intentions, CIA chief John Ratcliffe paid a surprise visit to Moscow in late August, with US media reporting he warned Russia against attacking any NATO country.

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