On Saturday, Russian President Putin and U.S. President Trump shared a 90-minute phone discussion, during which, according to RT’s account, the Russian was able to brief the American leader on the actual situation of Russian advances along the front of the Ukraine war. “Putin described the liberation of Konstantinovka, a key Ukrainian stronghold, as an important step toward establishing full control over the territory of the Donetsk People’s Republic. The Kremlin aide namely, Yuri Ushakov, informing RT) said Moscow expects the remaining fortified areas still held by Kiev’s forces to be taken as well.”
In an important reported response, “Trump, according to Ushakov, again confirmed his readiness to help bring the hostilities to an end and seek a peaceful settlement. He also argued that ending the Ukraine conflict as soon as possible could unlock ‘collossal potentials’ for mutually beneficial cooperation between Russia and the US, the Kremlin aide said” [emphasis in RT. Ushakov’s [own readout, somewhat differently, cites Trump as saying that these potentials depend upon bringing hostilities to an end quickly.