Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had a phone conversation with U.S. President Donald Trump, which he described as “productive.” The main topic of the discussion was the cessation of war and ensuring a lasting and just peace for Ukraine.
This is reported by Kyiv24
“The key issue is, of course, the end of the war. We are grateful to the U.S. President for all his efforts towards a fair and lasting peace. It is indeed necessary to stop the killings as soon as possible, and we fully support this. Many months could have passed without war if the Russians had not prolonged it,” he wrote on Telegram.
Sanctions and Economic Pressure on Russia
During the conversation, the presidents discussed strengthening sanctions against the Russian Federation. According to Zelensky, the Russian economy continues to suffer losses, which is causing concern in Moscow. Zelensky emphasized that Trump’s determination on this issue could be crucial for the further course of events.
It was noted separately that Russian forces have recently intensified the brutality of their attacks, which became one of the issues for assessing the situation between Kyiv and Washington.
European Initiatives and Security Agreements
The parties also considered joint European solutions capable of strengthening Ukraine’s defense. In addition, Zelensky reported that among the topics of negotiation was a project for an agreement on drones – the Ukrainian side has already prepared the relevant proposals.
On July 29, Donald Trump stated that Russia must make progress in ending the war against Ukraine within the next 10 days; otherwise, the U.S. will impose additional tariffs and other restrictive measures against Moscow. The U.S. President noted that he was disappointed with Vladimir Putin’s actions.
The Kremlin responded to such statements, emphasizing that the so-called “special military operation” continues. Meanwhile, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev claimed that Trump’s words supposedly bring him closer to war with Russia, and later stressed that “Russia is right in everything and will continue on its path,” hinting at the continuation of aggression and anti-Western policy. Medvedev also mentioned Russia’s automated nuclear weapons control system – “Dead Hand.”
In response to these statements, Trump sharply criticized Medvedev and on August 1 announced on TruthSocial the deployment of American nuclear submarines to combat readiness in relevant regions as a reaction to threats from Russia. Additionally, Trump informed that his special representative Steve Witkoff plans to visit Russia this week.