Donald Trump spoke by phone with Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday, pressing both men on ways to end the war in Ukraine. In the call with Putin, Trump said ending the fighting was critical and that he was prepared to help.
The timing mattered. Trump took both calls on the same day as his birthday, and the conversations came as the G7 meeting is set for France this week. Zelenskyy said he wished Trump success in efforts to end Russia’s war against Ukraine and said they talked about what could help bring peace closer right now.
The Putin call lasted about an hour, while a separate account put it at 55 minutes. Yuri Ushakov described it as friendly and frank, and Putin used the occasion to wish Trump a happy 80th birthday. Trump also told Putin the US was nearing a peace deal with Iran, a detail that sat uneasily beside his push to end the war in Ukraine.
Zelenskyy said he updated Trump on the latest developments on the battlefield and said their position had strengthened. He also said, in plain terms, that there were some good ideas that could help bring peace closer. That leaves the core question unchanged: whether Sunday’s calls produce anything concrete before the G7 meeting, or remain another round of diplomacy with no visible next step.
The war has dragged on since Russia launched its invasion in February 2022, and it has now lasted longer than the first world war. Trump has recently said he wants the conflict to end as quickly as possible, but there is still no public sign of a deal, a ceasefire or even a formal plan emerging from the calls. For now, the clearest result is that Trump is still talking to both sides at once.
