Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The phone call came hours before Russian strikes killed at least 20 people, including three children, in Ukraine on Saturday.
Ushakov said Trump had agreed to convey Putin’s message about the prospects for peace talks to the Ukrainian government. Ukrainian officials said they were caught off guard by the Trump administration’s decision to ease export sanctions on Russia, allowing Russian diesel fuel to be shipped to the United States. Russian President Vladimir Putin has ruled out an immediate end to the war in Ukraine, telling US President Donald Trump that Moscow would continue fighting until it achieved all its objectives. The diplomatic developments have also strained relations between Washington and Kyiv.
Putin made the remarks during a 90-minute conversation with Trump on Friday, according to the New York Post (NYP).
Russian foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov said Moscow would continue military operations until it achieved its stated goals.
Hours after the Trump-Putin conversation, Russian forces struck a residential neighbourhood in Zaporizhzhia with five guided aerial bombs early Saturday, killing at least 20 people and injuring 18, Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky criticised the move as a “weak decision”, arguing that it could help sustain Russia’s war effort. A senior Ukrainian official described the development as feeling like a trap, according to the Kyiv Independent. Mykhailo Semikin, acting governor of Zaporizhzhia, expressed grief over the deaths, saying the children should have had the chance to grow up, pursue their dreams and learn about the world.