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London: Russian leader Vladimir Putin has told US President Donald Trump he wants to settle the “root causes” of his conflict with Ukraine without retreating on his goals, taking a hard line on any peace deal after more than three years of war.
Putin delivered the message to Trump in a private phone call that lasted nearly an hour, a day after the Pentagon froze the supply of Patriot systems to help Ukraine take down Russian missiles.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump spoke on the phone for nearly an hour.Credit: AP
The talks came as European leaders threw more support behind Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at a meeting in Denmark, promising military supplies as well as finance to help Ukraine make its own weapons.
In a direct challenge to Putin over his claims to Ukrainian territory, European Union President Ursula von der Leyen stepped up her message about bringing Ukraine into the union over Russian objections.
Crucially, she also argued that European countries could increase military spending on Ukraine and count this towards the NATO pledge last week – sought by Trump – to increase defence spending to 5 per cent of each country’s gross domestic product.
Russia has intensified its missile and drone attacks on Ukraine over recent months, despite Trump’s talk of arranging a peace deal and his claim before the US election that he could end the war before his first day in office.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky in Denmark on Thursday.Credit: AP
Zelensky revealed he expected to speak with Trump within days, in their first conversation since the weapons freeze triggered concerns in Europe and criticism in America, including from Republicans.
Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters in Moscow that Putin spoke to Trump about the need to address the “root causes” of the war, in an apparent reference to Russian claims to Ukrainian territory and concerns about NATO expansion.
Ushakov said Trump and Putin spoke for nearly an hour. He said the Russian president said he was open to a “negotiated solution” to end the fighting.
But he added that Putin “will not step back from its goals” in the conflict.
Hours before the phone call, Zelensky met European leaders in the Danish city of Aarhus to shore up military support for his country and set out a path for Ukraine to join 27 other nations as a member of the EU – a prospect Putin strongly rejects.
Zelensky, speaking to reporters alongside the EU leaders, questioned whether Trump and Putin could find common ground in their phone call and declared Ukraine was prepared to strike a peace deal but said Russia would not agree.
“We supported from the very beginning the idea of President Trump [for an] unconditional ceasefire,” he said.
Zelensky added that he was ready for “any kind of format” for a peace meeting but argued it had to include Putin himself. The Russian leader sent low-level officials to the last talks with Ukraine.
“I think that in Russia, only Putin [is the] real decision maker,” Zelensky said. “That’s why we need [a] meeting on the level of leaders if we really want peace.”
Russia launched another wave of drones across Ukraine on Thursday night, the Kyiv Independent news site reported, sending civilians into bomb shelters. The attacks came in the early hours of Friday morning in Australia. Kyiv Independent journalists reported hearing multiple rounds of explosions in the capital.
On Thursday, Major General Mikhail Gudkov – the deputy head of Russia’s navy who also led a brigade fighting against Ukraine – was reported killed in Russia’s Kursk region. He is one of the most senior Russian military officers to have been killed by Ukraine since Moscow launched its full-scale war against Ukraine in 2022.
The EU meeting in Aarhus marked the start of Denmark’s presidency of the union over the next six months, giving Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen more sway over policy to back Ukraine.
In this photo provided by Ukraine’s Territorial Defence press service, soldiers shoot at Russian targets near Kharkiv on Wednesday. Credit: AP
Frederiksen said the US should continue its military support for Ukraine, but also argued that Europe should “fill the gap” if necessary.
“The war in Ukraine has never been about Ukraine – it’s about Europe,” she said in a press conference alongside Zelensky, von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa.
“And, therefore, if we are to protect Ukraine and Europe and the trans-Atlantic alliance, we have to ensure that Ukraine gets the help that you need.
“All of us hope that [the] US will continue their support for Ukraine, and because of Ukraine, for Europe. But if there are any gaps, then I personally believe that we should be willing to fill in.”
With Bloomberg, Reuters
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‘No step back:’ Putin delivers hard line to Trump on Ukraine war – The Sydney Morning Herald
