Trump expressed disappointment following his conversation with Putin but praised his dialogue with Zelenskyy as “strategic”.

The US president stated that he was extremely dissatisfied with his July 3 talk with Putin because no progress was made toward ending the war in Ukraine. Trump does not trust Putin’s intentions to cease hostilities, saying: “He wants to go to the end to keep killing people, that’s wrong.”

He also pointed out that Putin is aware of potential US sanctions against Russia, which Putin expressed concern about, realizing their potential impact. Putin told Trump that Russia will not abandon its goals in Ukraine, which the Kremlin describes as the “root causes” of the war. However, Putin confirmed willingness to continue negotiations, stating talks should remain bilateral between Russia and Ukraine.

On July 4, Trump spoke with President Zelenskyy, focusing on strengthening Ukraine’s defense against Russian air strikes. The leaders discussed defense cooperation, joint weapons technology development, investments that includes drones, and diplomatic efforts to end the war. Zelenskyy described this conversation with Trump as the best they have had, and Trump called it a “very strategic conversation”.