Trump presses Putin and Zelenskyy on Ukraine peace before G7 summit

Trump pushed Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy to move toward peace in Ukraine on the eve of the G7 summit, but the public takeaway from the back-to-back calls was thinner than the rhetoric around them. The conversations produced no announced timetable, no binding commitment and no visible breakthrough, only a promise to keep talking in France while the war continued to grind on.

Putin’s call with Trump lasted just under an hour, according to Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov, who said Trump stressed that ending hostilities in Ukraine was vital and said he was ready to help push European allies and Kyiv toward that goal. Ushakov also said Trump suggested that a rapid end to the war could open the door to “a truly new quality of U.S.-Russian relations,” a signal that the White House still sees diplomacy with Moscow as part of a broader geopolitical reset if the fighting can be stopped.

Zelenskyy, writing on Telegram, said he had a “wonderful conversation” with Trump and thanked him for supporting Ukraine. He said the two discussed “what could help bring peace closer now” and that Ukraine’s position along the eastern front line had improved and strengthened. Zelenskyy added, “We agreed to discuss more during our meeting at the G7 summit,” setting up the summit in France as the next public checkpoint rather than the end point of a negotiation.

Trump was preparing to travel overnight to France after a UFC event at the White House, following a day in which he marked his 80th birthday. Ukraine was expected to be a major topic at the G7 meeting in Evian, where a working session with Zelenskyy and G7 leaders was planned for Tuesday, June 16. Senior U.S. officials said no separate bilateral meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy had been formally scheduled, though the two could still meet on the sidelines.

The wider war kept underscoring the gap between diplomacy and deliverables. A Ukrainian drone strike overnight killed one person and wounded nine in Russia’s Oryol region, while Russia killed civilians in separate attacks, a reminder that the battlefield remains active even as leaders talk about peace. Trump once claimed during the 2024 campaign that he could end the war within 24 hours, but that promise has since fallen away, leaving the G7 summit to test whether his renewed engagement brings leverage or only another round of summit-stage messaging.