President Trump expressed a negative view after a phone call with his Russian counterpart, admitting that there has been no progress on the Ukraine issue.
“It was a long call, we talked about many things, including Iran and the conflict in Ukraine as you know. I was not happy,” US President Donald Trump told reporters on July 3, referring to his previous phone call with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.
Asked if he was closer to a deal to end the fighting in Ukraine, President Trump responded that “no, I have made absolutely no progress with him.”
Mr. Trump’s stance this time is considered unusually negative. In five phone calls with President Putin since January, the White House owner has expressed optimism about the progress towards a Russia-Ukraine ceasefire.
The Kremlin said the same day that the call between the Russian and US leaders lasted nearly an hour, with the content revolving around the Ukraine conflict and the situation in the Middle East.
President Putin said Russia would not abandon its goals in the campaign in Ukraine but was ready to maintain negotiations, saying conflicts in the Middle East should be resolved diplomatically.
The two leaders also affirmed their desire for joint economic projects, especially in the energy and space sectors. The decision to suspend US arms aid to Ukraine was not mentioned in the phone call.
The leaders of Russia and the United States spoke by phone two days after the White House announced the suspension of the transfer to Ukraine of some important weapons that had been previously committed, but the specific types have not been announced.
The move has caused confusion and backlash in Ukraine, raising questions about whether the US will withdraw military aid to Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hopes to talk to Mr Trump about the issue soon. A senior Ukrainian official said Mr Trump and Mr Zelensky could speak by phone on July 4.
Meanwhile, efforts to negotiate a peaceful solution to the war in Ukraine, which the US has been a mediator for, have yet to yield any breakthroughs. The last time Mr. Trump and Mr. Putin spoke by phone was on June 14, but they mainly discussed the Israel-Iran conflict.
Kiev and its Western allies accuse Moscow of stalling while continuing its military advance in Ukraine.
