Trump praises 'great' call with Putin as Russian forces pummel cities across Ukraine
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U.S. President Donald Trump described his recent call with Russian President Vladimir Putin as "great" in comments to reporters on Sept. 9.
Trump's statement follows a Sept. 8 phone call with Putin about ending Russia's war against Ukraine.
"We had a great conversation with Putin," Trump said before boarding Air Force One to fly to Dallas for the Republican Midterm Convention. "He is wanting to make a deal, and if Zelensky is wanting to make a deal, that'd be very nice."
Trump's conversation with Putin took place on the heels of Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff's first visit to Kyiv, where the envoys discussed ending the war with Ukrainian officials.
The Kyiv trip immediately followed a similar visit to Moscow to discuss peace options with the Kremlin.
The talks do not appear to have yielded a major breakthrough, with Zelensky telling reporters after the meeting that he expects "the war will continue" into the winter months.
The Kremlin has repeatedly rejected a ceasefire and demanded that Kyiv cede the partially occupied and strategically vital Donbas region in eastern Ukraine. Ukraine has instead called for a ceasefire along the current front lines while stressing the need for Western-backed security guarantees to deter future potential Russian aggression.
When asked by a reporter what is stopping a peace deal from being reached, Trump insisted the reason was personal."The holdup is two people who hate each other," Trump said, referring to Putin and Zelensky. "I think more than anything else, it's two people that hate each other."
Trump's comments come as Russian strikes hammered cities across Ukraine following the end of a limited ceasefire enacted during Kushner's and Witkoff's visit. On Sept. 8, a mass Russian missile and drone attack on Kyiv overnight killed at least five people and injured 35 others. The attacks sparked a series of huge fires that filled the morning air across the capital with smoke.
A suspected Russian drone also violated Moldovan airspace on Sept. 8, the same day Trump spoke with Putin. The drone targeted Moldova as a plane carrying Zelensky was scheduled to take off for a flight to Norway — sparking fears that Russia may be attempting to assassinate the Ukrainian president.
When asked if Trump was trying to set up a trilateral meeting between Zelensky, Putin, and himself to negotiate an end to the war, Trump stated that "it could happen."
After the phone call between Putin and Trump, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told Russian state broadcaster VGTRK on Sept. 9 that the U.S. should stop supporting Kyiv to help end Russia's war against Ukraine.
Around the same time Trump was boarding Air Force One, Russian forces struck a shopping and entertainment center in the northeastern city of Sumy, killing at least two and injuring 20, including three children.
