Putin and Trump Discuss Ukraine in Phone Call, Kremlin Says

US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow and then Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv, presenting new proposals aimed at ending the war [236862][237013][237427]. The Kremlin confirmed that Putin and former US President Donald Trump also held a telephone conversation focused on Ukraine, though no specific outcomes were released [237867].

During the talks, Putin ordered a three-day halt to attacks on Kyiv, and Zelensky confirmed Ukraine would suspend aerial attacks on Russian cities involved in the negotiation process [236032]. Despite that pause, Ukraine launched massive drone attacks on Russian territory on Sunday, and Russia responded by sending 108 drones into Ukraine, striking 11 locations and killing one person [237013]. Russian air defenses shot down 258 Ukrainian drones overnight, five times higher than the previous day, with fires reported at a Rosneft oil refinery less than 200 kilometers from Moscow [237013]. In the border region of Belgorod, three people died in the last 24 hours [237013].

Zelensky warned that fighting could continue into the winter months, signaling that a quick resolution remains unlikely [236862][237141]. Ukrainian officials have repeatedly insisted on a full withdrawal of Russian forces as a precondition for any ceasefire, a position Moscow has rejected [237427]. No joint statement or specific next steps were announced after the talks [237427].

On Tuesday, Ukraine condemned a large-scale Russian missile and drone attack that killed at least two people, coming just hours after the US envoys left both capitals [237935].