Trump’s sensitive phone call with Putin in the middle of a meeting with Zelensky and European leaders

German newspaper Bild reported, citing informed sources, that US President Donald Trump left the White House meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders for 40 minutes to have a phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and returned to the meeting after the call ended.

This call, which was frank and very constructive, according to Yuri Ushakov, Putin’s secretary, is considered an important step towards coordinating a trilateral meeting with Trump, Zelensky, and Putin.

After this conversation, Trump announced that he had begun preparations for a trilateral meeting with Zelensky and Putin.

According to AFP, Putin told Trump in the call that he was ready to meet with Zelensky.

The phone call and related talks, which followed Trump and Putin’s recent meeting in Alaska, reflect intensive diplomatic efforts to end the war in Ukraine.