U.S. President Donald Trump once claimed that he would end the Russia-Ukraine conflict within 24 hours of taking office. However, U.S. mediation failed to break the deadlock between Russia and Ukraine, and no breakthroughs were made in the ceasefire negotiations. According to an article by The Associated Press on June 14, Trump held phone calls with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that day to discuss resolving the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Russian President's Assistant Ushakov reported at a press conference on the 14th that Putin had a 55-minute conversation with Trump. Regarding the Ukraine issue, Trump emphasized the importance of ending the conflict. He is prepared to exert influence on European countries and Ukraine during upcoming G7 summits and other events in order to achieve this goal.
Trump said in the call that recent attacks on Russian civilians have made the situation of negotiations more complicated. However, he believes that ending the war quickly could bring U.S-Russia relations to a "new level".
Ushakov said that in response to Trump's statements, Putin said during the call that attacks by Ukraine on Russian civilian infrastructure could not change the course of the war. Putin added that if Zelenskyy wanted to meet with him, "then let him come to Moscow."
Ushakov revealed that U.S. special envoy Steve Whitmore and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner are expected to visit Russia in the near future.
On June 14th, Zelenskyy posted on social media saying that Trump also had a "pleasant conversation" with him. June 14th is Trump's birthday, and Zelenskyy congratulated Trump and expressed gratitude for the support that the United States has given to Ukraine.
Zelenskyy said that he introduced Ukraine’s situation on the front lines of the conflict to Trump. Both sides discussed measures that could help achieve peace as quickly as possible, but no specific details were revealed. He added, “We agree to discuss these issues further during the G7 summit.”
The G7 summit was held in France from June 15th to 17th local time. The issue of Ukraine is expected to be a key topic discussed on the second day of the summit.
US President Donald Trump IC photo
According to The Associated Press, Trump once claimed that he could “end the Russia-Ukraine conflict” within 24 hours of becoming president. However, as negotiations between Russia and Ukraine reached a deadlock, he stopped making such statements. When questioned by the media, he often avoided talking about this topic.
In the past few months, Ukraine has increased its attacks on Russian oil and gas infrastructure, attempting to prevent Russia from obtaining funds through oil and gas exports. Zelenskyy stated that from the evening of June 13th to the early hours of June 14th local time, Ukraine launched remote strikes against oil facilities, chemical plants, and other targets in Yaroslavl and Tula regions of Russia.
Some civilian targets within Russia have also been attacked. Russian Governor of Oryol State Andre Kreshchkov reported that from the night of the 13th to the early hours of the 14th, a residential building in Oryol was hit by Ukrainian drones, resulting in one person killed and nine people injured.
The Trump administration has tried to push for a cease-fire by directly contacting both Russia and Ukraine. However, efforts to this end have not yet achieved any breakthroughs. There are significant differences between Russia and Ukraine regarding issues such as the cease-fire and territorial ownership.
On June 5th, during the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Putin stated that Russia is willing to make compromises on the Russo-Ukrainian issue, following the consensus reached during the meeting between Russian President Trump and U.S. President Donald Trump in Anchorage, Alaska.
Putin said that only by accepting the relevant consensus can Ukraine reach an agreement to end this conflict that has lasted for five years. He emphasized that Moscow seeks a comprehensive solution, not a temporary truce. “There is no need to stop hostilities just to start negotiations. Of course, Ukraine hopes that we will stop the Russian troops’ advance. But it would be best to end the war by accepting the compromise plan discussed in Anchorage.”
