The Kremlin said on the 19th (local time) that U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to discuss ways to elevate the status of representatives participating in Russia-Ukraine direct negotiations.
According to TASS and others, Yuri Ushakov, an advisor on foreign policy at the Kremlin, confirmed that the two leaders spoke on the phone for about 40 minutes. President Trump paused his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders at the White House on the 18th to speak with President Putin.
Ushakov noted, "President Trump informed President Putin about the negotiations with Zelensky and several European leaders that just concluded at the White House," adding that "the conversation between the two presidents was candid and very constructive."
He added that the two leaders supported the continuation of direct negotiations between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations, stating that "the idea of studying the possibility of elevating the status of representatives from both Ukraine and Russia participating in these direct negotiations was discussed."
After the meeting, President Trump posted on social media platform Truth Social about his conversation with President Putin, mentioning that he began coordinating talks between President Putin and President Zelensky. However, Russia only discussed the status of the delegations rather than making any direct mention of a summit between President Putin and President Zelensky.