WASHINGTON, July 4 (Alliance News): US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that his recent phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin brought no progress in resolving the war in Ukraine, while Moscow reiterated its demand to address what it calls the conflict’s “root causes.”
The nearly hour-long conversation failed to address the recent pause in US weapons shipments to Kyiv, according to Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov.
Instead, Putin emphasized that Moscow would continue pushing to resolve deeper issues such as NATO’s eastward expansion and Western support for Ukraine, which Russia sees as core to the conflict.
Speaking to reporters at an air base outside Washington, Trump said, “I didn’t make any progress with him at all,” before departing for Iowa.
He confirmed the US had not entirely halted military aid but blamed former President Joe Biden for depleting US stockpiles. “We’re giving weapons. But we’ve given so many weapons. And we have to make sure we have enough for ourselves,” he added.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, speaking in Denmark, expressed hope to speak with Trump soon to clarify the situation surrounding US weapons support. Ukrainian officials have voiced alarm over the pause in key arms supplies, particularly Patriot missile systems, amid escalating Russian attacks and a possible summer offensive.
On the ground, the war showed little sign of de-escalation. A Russian drone strike sparked a fire in an apartment complex in northern Kyiv, while five civilians were killed in eastern Ukraine from shelling. Air raid sirens and explosions were reported across the capital.
Putin, through his aide Ushakov, said that any peace initiative must be settled bilaterally between Moscow and Kyiv, not in a trilateral format. He also dismissed the idea of any planned in-person meeting between him and Trump.
The US pause in weapons deliveries has unsettled Ukrainian officials, who summoned the acting US envoy in Kyiv to stress the urgency of continued support.
The interruption threatens Ukraine’s defensive posture just as it faces intensified Russian aggression on multiple fronts.
While the Pentagon initially estimated the air defence delay would only impact short-term operations, internal assessments have been revised to reflect growing concern over Ukraine’s ability to repel incoming strikes without fresh supplies.
Meanwhile, diplomatic tensions continue over NATO’s stance on Ukraine’s membership aspirations, a point Russia considers non-negotiable in any lasting peace deal.
