Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump said a settlement was closer than many believed, although he offered no new details to support that assessment. His comments came despite continued fighting, with Russia launching overnight missile and drone attacks on Kyiv and the surrounding region that killed at least 28 people.

Trump said he believed both Putin and Zelensky wanted the conflict to end. He described his July 4 telephone conversation with the Russian leader as productive, saying the two leaders had a “good call.” According to a Kremlin aide, the discussion lasted 85 minutes and included Trump’s offer to help advance efforts toward a peaceful resolution.

The U.S. president also said he had spoken with Zelensky over the weekend and planned to continue discussions on Ukraine during the NATO summit in Ankara. Trump is scheduled to meet the Ukrainian president on Wednesday on the sidelines of the gathering, where a U.S. official said Washington intends to make a renewed diplomatic push to end the war.

The same official said Trump was expected to speak again with Putin after his meeting with Zelensky, reflecting continued U.S. engagement with both sides of the conflict.

In Moscow, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Russia believed the U.S. position on resolving the war had remained consistent. He dismissed suggestions that Trump had shifted his views, saying the American president maintained a steady understanding of the conflict while remaining willing to hear Russia’s perspective during direct contacts with Putin.

Peskov also said the two presidents had agreed to maintain communication in the near future, underscoring continued diplomatic contacts despite the absence of a breakthrough.

Zelensky likewise characterized his recent conversation with Trump as “very good.” In an interview with the Financial Times, he said he believed the U.S. president now viewed the conflict differently following what he described as recent Ukrainian battlefield successes.

According to Zelensky, Trump praised Ukraine’s long-range drone campaign targeting Russia’s oil infrastructure, which Ukrainian officials say has contributed to fuel shortages inside Russia. Zelensky suggested those developments had influenced Trump’s assessment of the conflict.

The Ukrainian leader told the newspaper that Trump was naturally drawn toward successful outcomes, adding that political considerations, including upcoming U.S. midterm elections and Trump’s desire to bring the war to an end, also shaped his approach.

Relations between Trump and Zelensky have evolved since a contentious Oval Office meeting last year that ended in a public confrontation. Since then, the Ukrainian president has sought to rebuild ties through a series of meetings and direct contacts with the U.S. leader.

Trump’s latest remarks did not revisit his earlier criticism that Zelensky needed to move more quickly toward negotiations with Russia because, in Trump’s words at the time, Ukraine lacked sufficient leverage in peace talks.

The war, now in its fifth year, remains one of Europe’s most significant security crises, with diplomatic efforts continuing alongside sustained military operations by both Russia and Ukraine.

Sergei Aksyonov, the Moscow-appointed governor of Crimea, said the strike occurred in the northern part of the peninsula. He reported that one person was killed and two others were wounded, including one who was in serious condition, but did not provide further details about the nature of the attack.

The latest strike follows an increase in Ukrainian attacks targeting infrastructure in Crimea, reflecting Kyiv’s effort to disrupt Russian military logistics and isolate the strategically important Black Sea peninsula.

Russia seized Crimea in 2014 and subsequently annexed the territory, a move rejected by Ukraine and widely regarded as illegal by much of the international community. Western officials and analysts say Ukraine’s growing use of long-range strikes has increased pressure on Moscow even as Russian battlefield advances have slowed in recent months.

The attack came hours after Zelensky and Putin separately spoke by telephone with Trump about prospects for ending the conflict.

In a message posted on X late Saturday, Zelensky said he had called Trump to congratulate him on the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence. He said the two leaders discussed developments along the front line and agreed to continue their discussions in person during the upcoming NATO summit in Ankara.

Zelensky said there remained a genuine opportunity to end the war and described continued U.S. engagement as an important factor in achieving that objective.

The Kremlin separately described Putin’s conversation with Trump as constructive. Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov said the call lasted nearly 90 minutes and marked the fourth conversation between the two leaders this year.

According to Ushakov, Putin congratulated Trump and the American people on the anniversary of U.S. independence. He said Trump reiterated his willingness to support a rapid end to hostilities and pursue a peaceful settlement, while U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would continue mediation efforts and remained prepared to visit Moscow.

Ushakov said Putin again stressed that Russia favors a diplomatic resolution provided that what he described as Moscow’s fundamental positions are taken into account.

The Russian president also accused Ukraine and its European allies of seeking to prolong and intensify the conflict, according to Ushakov, arguing that European governments had misjudged the military situation.

Ushakov further said Putin told Trump that Russian forces continued to make gains along the front and cited the capture of the Ukrainian stronghold of Kostyantynivka as an important step toward securing the entire Donetsk region.

Ukraine denied Russia’s claim that Kostyantynivka had been captured.

The latest diplomatic contacts highlighted renewed international efforts to explore a negotiated settlement even as fighting continues across multiple fronts and both sides maintain sharply differing positions on the conditions for ending Europe’s largest armed conflict since World War II.

Speaking during meetings with government officials and in an interview with Russian state television, Putin described the impact of Ukraine’s campaign against Russian oil facilities as “not critical,” rejected renewed ceasefire proposals and reiterated that Russia would continue the war until its strategic objectives were achieved.

The comments came after the Russian military launched an 11-hour overnight barrage against Kyiv that killed at least 21 people, according to Ukrainian authorities. The attack ranked among the deadliest assaults on the Ukrainian capital since Russia launched its full-scale invasion more than four years ago.

Ukraine has intensified long-range strikes against Russian oil refineries and energy facilities in recent months, carrying out more than 50 reported attacks on infrastructure in Russia and Russian-controlled Crimea since March. Ukrainian officials have said the campaign is intended to pressure Moscow by disrupting the economic foundations supporting the war effort.

Analysts say the strikes have inflicted substantial damage on Russia’s refining sector. Chris Weafer, chief executive of consultancy Macro-Advisory, estimated that roughly one-third of Russia’s refining capacity has been taken offline, with repairs expected to require significant time and investment.

One of Moscow’s principal refineries has been struck twice despite extensive air defense systems protecting the capital. A second attack on June 18 triggered a major fire and damaged key processing equipment that reports indicate may not be fully repaired before the end of the year.

Russian government statistics show gasoline production has fallen by approximately 17 percent to about 850,000 barrels per day. Fuel rationing has been introduced in several regions, while motorists have reported waiting for hours to purchase gasoline.

The shortages have been particularly severe in Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014. Authorities there have suspended gasoline sales to private consumers as supplies remain under pressure.

During a government meeting last weekend, Putin acknowledged Russia was experiencing a “difficult period” but characterized the shortages as temporary. He said the government would accelerate repairs to damaged refineries, consider importing gasoline if necessary and expand production of air defense systems to counter future Ukrainian attacks.

Putin argued that Kyiv’s strikes on Russian energy facilities were intended to divide Russian society, undermine public confidence and force Moscow into negotiations on terms favorable to Ukraine and its allies.

“We will not give them that chance,” Putin said.

Although Putin maintained that attacks on Russian energy infrastructure had “absolutely no effect on the situation at the front,” Western military analysts say Ukrainian strikes have complicated Russian logistics and contributed to slowing Moscow’s battlefield momentum, producing a more prolonged military stalemate.

The Russian president also rejected proposals by Ukraine and its Western allies for a ceasefire, arguing that any pause in fighting would allow Ukrainian forces to regroup and replenish their military capabilities.

Putin reiterated that any settlement would require Ukraine to withdraw from territory it still controls in the Donetsk region, abandon its ambition of joining NATO, reduce its armed forces and provide guarantees for the protection of the Russian language and culture. Ukraine has rejected those conditions.

He also claimed Ukraine had privately proposed limiting combat operations to the four regions that Russia has annexed but does not fully control—Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. According to the Kremlin, the proposal was communicated through confidential diplomatic channels, although Ukrainian officials have not publicly confirmed such discussions.

Putin further dismissed a Ukrainian proposal to halt long-range strikes inside each other’s territory, arguing that Russia’s ability to conduct deep strikes was significantly greater than Ukraine’s.

While Russia says its missile and drone attacks target military infrastructure, Thursday’s assault on Kyiv struck residential areas in addition to other locations. Ukrainian strikes inside Russia have primarily targeted oil refineries, weapons production facilities and other military-related infrastructure.

According to the United Nations, more than 16,000 Ukrainian civilians have been killed since the conflict began.

Tymur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv’s military administration, said the strikes killed two people and wounded 16, without providing additional details. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said a direct strike caused the collapse of the first through sixth floors of an apartment building, while emergency crews continued searching for people believed to be trapped beneath the rubble.

Klitschko said the injured included paramedics and drivers at an ambulance station that was also affected by the attack. Rescue operations continued through the night as firefighters worked to extinguish multiple blazes triggered by the strikes.

Images shared online showed flames engulfing the upper floors of a building along central Shevchenko Boulevard. Reuters witnesses reported hearing repeated explosions across the capital as Ukrainian air defense systems attempted to intercept incoming drones and missiles.

Residents carrying children, personal belongings, tents and pets sought shelter in underground metro stations after air raid alerts were issued across much of Ukraine. The latest assault marked Russia’s most extensive attack on Ukraine since the middle of June, according to the available information.

Earlier, Zelensky had warned of the possibility of a significant overnight assault and announced he was cutting short his visit to Dublin, where he had traveled for the start of Ireland’s six-month rotating presidency of the European Union. Ukrainian officials have not disclosed further operational details regarding the attack.

The heightened security situation also prompted neighboring Poland, a member of both NATO and the European Union, to scramble fighter aircraft as a precautionary measure while Russian strikes unfolded near the alliance’s eastern frontier.

The attack came as diplomatic efforts to halt the conflict remained stalled. Zelensky has proposed direct talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin aimed at ending the war, now in its fifth year, but the Kremlin has rejected the proposal.

At the same time, hostilities have continued to intensify on both sides of the border. Ukraine has recently expanded long-range strikes deeper into Russian territory, targeting energy infrastructure and contributing to disruptions that have reportedly forced Russia to import gasoline from suppliers including India amid fuel shortages.

Russian regional authorities also reported Ukrainian drone attacks overnight. Alexander Drozdenko, governor of Russia’s northwestern Leningrad region, said air defenses destroyed six drones over the region, which hosts significant oil refining and export facilities.

Separately, officials in Russia’s Belgorod region, bordering Ukraine, said a drone struck a residential home, killing one man and injuring his wife. The reports were published by local authorities on Telegram.

Reuters could not independently verify battlefield claims or casualty figures released by either side. Moscow and Kyiv have repeatedly said they do not deliberately target civilians, although attacks throughout the conflict have caused extensive civilian casualties and widespread destruction of homes, energy infrastructure and public facilities across both countries.

The Washington-based think tank estimated that combined military casualties have exceeded two million, with Russian forces accounting for the majority of the losses. The assessment said Russia has suffered about 1.4 million casualties, including an estimated 400,000 to 450,000 troops killed during the conflict.

According to the report, Ukrainian forces have sustained between 525,000 and 625,000 military casualties since the war began. The study estimated Ukrainian fatalities at between 125,000 and 150,000 personnel over the same period.

CSIS said Russian military deaths in Ukraine now exceed four times the total number of U.S. military fatalities across all conflicts fought since the end of World War II, underscoring the unprecedented human cost of Moscow’s campaign.

The report also suggested that the imbalance in battlefield losses has widened in recent months. It estimated that the ratio of Russian to Ukrainian casualties likely reached approximately eight to one during the first half of 2026, indicating significantly higher Russian losses as fighting continued across multiple fronts.

The study provides one of the latest independent assessments of military casualties in the war, as both Moscow and Kyiv disclose limited official figures and wartime casualty estimates remain difficult to verify independently.

Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, triggering the largest land conflict in Europe in decades. Since then, intense fighting has continued across eastern and southern Ukraine, with both sides relying on drones, artillery, missiles and entrenched defensive positions as the conflict has evolved into a prolonged war of attrition.

Independent casualty estimates vary because of restricted access to frontline areas, differing methodologies and the limited release of official military data by the parties involved. Neither Russia nor Ukraine regularly publishes comprehensive figures for battlefield losses, making external assessments by research institutions and intelligence agencies an important reference for measuring the war’s human toll.

The CSIS report focused exclusively on military casualties and did not include civilian losses or broader humanitarian consequences resulting from the conflict.

Speaking in an interview published by the Kremlin, Putin said Moscow anticipated the return of US officials who had previously held multiple rounds of talks in the Russian capital.

“We expect that after all the events are over, after the active phase on the Iranian track has passed, we will see the arrival of those representatives of the US administration with whom we have already met in Moscow repeatedly,” Putin said.

“We are ready to continue negotiations and discuss all the details,” he added.

Putin made the remarks while responding to a question on the state of Russia-US relations following the Group of Seven summit in France, where US President Donald Trump urged Moscow to “make a deal with Ukraine.”

The comments suggest that the Kremlin believes Washington’s diplomatic focus on the Middle East has temporarily delayed broader engagement with Russia, including discussions on the war in Ukraine and other bilateral issues.

Trump has recently adopted a more optimistic tone regarding Ukraine’s military position. On Wednesday, he said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was performing well in the conflict, despite previously arguing that Kyiv lacked the necessary leverage to secure victory against Russia.

No timetable was provided for the proposed negotiations, and neither Moscow nor Washington announced the agenda or composition of any future delegation.

Russia and the United States have maintained intermittent diplomatic contacts despite the continuing conflict in Ukraine, with both sides periodically indicating willingness to pursue dialogue on issues of mutual interest while fundamental disagreements remain unresolved.

Writing on X, Zelensky said Ukrainian FP-5 Flamingo missiles hit the Titan-Barrikady industrial complex in Volgograd, describing it as a key defense manufacturing facility that produces artillery systems, specialized military equipment and components for missile launch systems.

Ukraine’s General Staff said the facility manufactures self-propelled launchers and transport-loading vehicles for the Iskander-M missile system, which Kyiv says Russia has repeatedly used to attack Ukrainian cities.

Volgograd regional Governor Andrei Bocharov confirmed that an industrial site in the Krasnooktyabrsky district had been struck, saying 10 people were injured and production facilities sustained damage. He did not identify the affected enterprise.

Ukraine’s Security Service also said its forces carried out a second strike this month against an oil pumping facility in Russia’s Vladimir region that supplies fuel to Moscow, as Kyiv continues a campaign targeting Russia’s military-industrial and energy infrastructure.

Ukraine has expanded long-range aerial attacks in recent months, aiming to disrupt Russian fuel supplies, logistics and defense production. Ukrainian officials say the strategy is intended to weaken Moscow’s military capabilities and increase pressure for negotiations.

The latest strikes followed what appeared to be one of Ukraine’s largest drone offensives of the war. Russia’s Defense Ministry said on Friday its air defenses intercepted 660 Ukrainian drones launched against a dozen Russian regions, Russian-controlled Crimea and surrounding waters.

Earlier this week, Zelensky said he had ordered a 40-day campaign to intensify pressure on Russia after diplomatic efforts led by the United States failed to produce a breakthrough toward ending the conflict.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian officials said a Russian drone struck a private home in the Sumy region overnight, killing a 66-year-old man. Regional Governor Oleh Hryhorov said the attack caused the fatality as Russian drone operations continued along Ukraine’s northeastern border.

Kyiv’s military administration said four people were killed and 23 wounded in the capital, including a child, after overnight attacks involving ballistic missiles and waves of Shahed drones.

Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said five emergency responders were killed in Kharkiv after they were hit by a second strike while battling a fire caused by an earlier attack. At least five other rescuers were wounded.

Authorities said powerful explosions were reported across Kyiv overnight, with civilian infrastructure heavily damaged. Several strikes hit residential areas in the city’s Shevchenkivskyi district, including a 25-story apartment building, while a market and grocery store also caught fire.

A nine-story residential building in the Obolonskyi district was also damaged after being directly hit.

Kyiv officials accused Russia of deliberately targeting civilian areas, while Moscow has continued to carry out long-range missile and drone attacks during the ongoing war.

The strikes also caused major damage at the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of Ukraine’s most important religious landmarks.

Officials said a major fire broke out at the historic monastic complex, while Metropolitan Epiphanius, head of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, said the roof of the Dormition Cathedral was damaged.

The Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, also known as the Monastery of the Caves, dates back to the 11th century and includes churches, monasteries and underground caves. It has long been considered a major religious and cultural center in Eastern Europe.

The latest attacks came as Russia and Ukraine remain locked in a war that has entered its fifth year, with Moscow continuing strikes against Ukrainian cities and infrastructure.

EU foreign ministers from the 27-member bloc will begin talks with Ukraine and neighboring Moldova on the first cluster of EU legislation, opening the next stage of their accession process.

Ukraine’s progress had been delayed for nearly two years after Hungary blocked further movement under former Prime Minister Viktor Orban. The path reopened after his rival Peter Magyar won elections in April.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa said the move recognized the efforts and reforms undertaken by Ukraine and Moldova despite significant challenges.

The decision provides political support for Kyiv, which applied for EU membership after Russia’s invasion, but officials said major obstacles remain before accession can take place.

Ukraine must complete negotiations covering 35 chapters of EU law, including areas such as environment, agriculture, justice and security, organized into six major clusters.

A European diplomat said the process would be complicated by the ongoing war, institutional reforms and challenges including organized crime.

Hungary’s new leadership has suggested that even if negotiations are completed, membership could still take many years, while some EU officials have discussed alternative arrangements.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has proposed the idea of Ukraine becoming an “associate member” without voting rights while it works toward full accession, a proposal that Kyiv has viewed with caution.

President Volodymyr Zelensky has insisted that Ukraine’s goal remains full EU membership with complete rights.

The broader debate comes as Ukraine, Moldova and other candidate countries seek closer ties with the bloc, raising questions about how the EU would function with more members.

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys said the EU should prepare itself to accept Ukraine by 2030 if Kyiv completes the required reforms and negotiations.

He stressed that the timeline would depend on Ukraine’s progress and the outcome of accession talks.

Trump’s call with Putin lasted nearly an hour, according to Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov, who said the US president emphasized the need to end hostilities and was prepared to encourage European allies and Kyiv toward that goal.

Ushakov said Putin argued that Ukrainian attacks on Russian civilian infrastructure would not alter the battlefield situation and said that if Zelensky wanted to meet, he should travel to Moscow.

The discussions also included Iran, with Trump saying an agreement with Tehran was close and that details could soon be made public, Ushakov said.

Zelensky said he had a “wonderful conversation” with Trump and thanked him for supporting Ukraine. He said the two leaders discussed steps that could help move toward peace and agreed to continue discussions during the G7 summit.

The diplomatic contacts came as fighting continued. Ukrainian drone attacks killed two people in Russia’s Oryol and Bryansk regions, according to local authorities. A separate drone strike hit fuel storage facilities in Russia’s Yaroslavl region, causing fires.

Zelensky said the Yaroslavl strike targeted an oil facility important to Russia’s reserves. Ukraine has increased attacks on Russian energy infrastructure, arguing that the sector supports Moscow’s war effort.

The calls took place as Trump prepared to travel to France for the G7 summit, where Ukraine is expected to be a major issue. Zelensky is scheduled to join discussions with world leaders.

The conflict has remained a challenge for Trump, who previously said he could end the war quickly but has since shifted focus toward broader diplomatic efforts.

Separately, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the United Kingdom detained a tanker suspected of being part of Russia’s “shadow fleet,” vessels accused of helping evade sanctions linked to the war.

British forces boarded the tanker Smyrtos in the English Channel in cooperation with French authorities. Starmer said the operation was aimed at increasing pressure on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.