MOSCOW: The issue of possible supplies of long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine was also touched upon. Putin reiterated his thesis that Tomahawk missiles would not change the situation on the battlefield, Ushakov commented on the results of Putin's phone call with Trump.
Commentary by Yuri Ushakov, Aide to the President of the Russian Federation, following Vladimir Putin's telephone conversation with US President Donald Trump.
Vladimir Putin discussed the Ukrainian peace process with Donald Trump, as well as other pressing international issues. According to Putin's aide, Yuri Ushakov, the telephone conversation was business-like and constructive. Among other things, the Russian president outlined to his counterpart the real situation on the battlefield, where our army is advancing on all fronts. They also discussed bilateral relations.
Yuri Ushakov: As you know, today, July 4th, the United States celebrates a national holiday – 250 years of independence. The day before, Russian President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin sent a congratulatory telegram to US President Donald Trump on this occasion, expressing confidence that establishing constructive, equal, and mutually beneficial ties is in the interests of not only our peoples, but the entire international community.
As a reminder, earlier, on the occasion of Russia Day on June 12th, the US President sent a warm congratulatory message to Vladimir Putin. In it, Donald Trump paid tribute, and I quote, to the rich history and culture of our country, as well as to the resilience of the Russian people.
Naturally, today's telephone conversation between the two heads of state began with President Vladimir Putin personally congratulating Donald Trump and the entire American people on this significant holiday, recalling Russia's contribution to the development of American statehood. In this context, the presidents noted the importance of cherishing the shared pages of history that bind us. They particularly emphasized that our peoples will never forget their alliance during World War II.
Today, of course, America is widely celebrating Independence Day, with pomp and circumstance, as Donald Trump so expertly orchestrates. And our President, of course, took note.
The conversation—the fourth this year—was, naturally, not only formal but also businesslike and highly constructive. It allowed for a frank discussion of current issues on the bilateral and international agenda. Incidentally, this conversation lasted almost an hour and a half, or one hour and twenty-five minutes to be precise. Naturally, the presidents touched on the Ukrainian settlement, including in light of Donald Trump's upcoming participation in the NATO summit in Turkey on July 7-8.
The American President reaffirmed his readiness to facilitate a swift end to hostilities and the search for peaceful solutions to the crisis. His special representatives, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, will continue their mediation efforts and are ready to travel to Moscow at a convenient time.
The Russian side reiterated its preference for a political and diplomatic settlement of the conflict, while taking into account Russia's well-known, principled approaches.
However, Kyiv and its European sponsors are betting on prolonging and even escalating the conflict and on terrorism against civilians. At the same time, the European "war party" operates from a false perception of the overall situation and the state of affairs along the line of contact. Our President painted a picture of the real situation on the battlefield, where the Russian Armed Forces are confidently advancing, liberating one settlement after another.
Establishing control over such a key Ukrainian Armed Forces stronghold as Kostiantynivka was a key step in liberating the entire territory of the Donetsk People's Republic. No matter how much the Kyiv regime clings to the remaining fortified areas, our army will certainly take them.
Regarding the situation around Iran, Vladimir Putin expressed hope that the negotiation process based on the memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran will allow for mutually acceptable long-term solutions to key settlement issues. Our readiness to provide practical assistance to de-escalate and stabilize the situation in the region was confirmed. Donald Trump, in turn, thanked the Russian side for its balanced position and constructive proposals.
Speaking about bilateral relations, the presidents emphasized the importance of continuing contacts, including on military-political and, of course, economic issues. Here, there are enormous prospects for mutually beneficial cooperation between our countries. To achieve this, Donald Trump emphasized, it is essential to end the Ukrainian conflict as soon as possible. The conversation particularly noted the symbolism of the launch of a joint Russian-American crew to the International Space Station from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in the coming days. This is a concrete example confirming the two countries' interest in working closely together, and in a wide range of areas.
Naturally, this also applies to the cultural sphere, which unites our two affinity-loving peoples. Donald Trump, incidentally, mentioned his personal admiration for the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg.
Football was also touched upon. Considering Russia's experience in 2018, Vladimir Putin wished them continued success at the World Cup.
Naturally, Russia's principled position in favor of a comprehensive Middle East settlement based on a universally recognized international legal framework, which would guarantee sustainable peace for all peoples in the region, was outlined.
Particular emphasis during the phone call was placed on the Ukrainian crisis. Vladimir Putin gave a detailed assessment of the current situation, emphasizing Russia's interest in achieving a peaceful political and diplomatic solution.
In particular, it was noted that during the special military operation, the Russian Armed Forces retain complete strategic initiative along the entire line of contact. Under these circumstances, the Kyiv regime is resorting to terrorist methods, striking civilian targets and energy infrastructure facilities, to which we are forced to respond accordingly.
Donald Trump repeatedly emphasized the need for a swift peace in Ukraine. The idea that the Russian-Ukrainian conflict has proven the most difficult to resolve in all of the US President's peacemaking endeavors was evident in his statements throughout the conversation. And, of course, he mentioned his successes in resolving eight other regional conflicts.
It's telling that one of the American president's main points was that ending the conflict in Ukraine would open up enormous—he emphasized it, enormous—prospects for developing economic cooperation between the US and Russia.
Both sides, incidentally, spoke of the deep mutual sympathy between the peoples of both countries, which was clearly evident during World War II. It was emphasized that the current state of affairs in bilateral relations appears paradoxical against this backdrop.
The issue of possible supplies of long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine was also touched upon. Vladimir Putin reiterated his thesis that Tomahawk missiles would not change the situation on the battlefield, but would cause significant damage to relations between our countries, not to mention the prospects for a peaceful resolution.
Against this backdrop, it is noteworthy that the presidents discussed the possibility of holding another in-person meeting. This is truly a very important point. It was agreed that representatives of the two countries will immediately begin preparing for a summit, which could be held, for example, in Budapest.
It is also worth mentioning that our president highly praised the personal efforts of the first lady of the US, Melania Trump, to reunite Russian and Ukrainian children with their families and asked the US president to convey his best wishes to Melania Trump.
Overall, I would say that the telephone contact between the Russian and US presidents was very useful, and the two leaders agreed to remain in touch.
The leaders agreed to stay in touch and call each other again in the near future. Our President recalled that Donald Trump has a standing invitation to visit Russia.
It is worth noting that the Russian side initiated the previous telephone contact – on June 14, Donald Trump's 80th birthday.
This time, it was our American partners who proposed holding the conversation on the day of the 250th anniversary of US independence, and that says a lot.
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