Published On 5/7/2026
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Last update: 05:44 (Mecca time)
US President Donald Trump – in two separate calls he received from his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, and his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky – discussed developments in the war between their countries, while Kiev denied that Russian forces had taken control of the city of Kostyantinivka.
The Kremlin reported that Putin made a phone call with Trump on the occasion of the 250th anniversary of the independence of the United States, noting that the two leaders discussed the situation in Ukraine before the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit, which will be held in Ankara next Tuesday and Wednesday.
Kremlin Advisor Yuri Ushakov explained that the two presidents discussed the issue of reaching a settlement in Ukraine, taking into account Trump’s expected participation in the NATO summit in Türkiye.
He pointed out that Trump offered – during the phone conversation with Putin, which lasted about 90 minutes – to help find a solution to the war in Ukraine.
He stated that Trump made this offer in the context of his participation this week in the NATO summit in Turkey, pointing out that Putin presented the American president with a realistic assessment of the situation on the battlefield in Ukraine.
Ushakov said that the US President reiterated his readiness to work to quickly end the fighting and find solutions to overcome the crisis, stressing that Moscow seeks “a political and diplomatic solution to the conflict, taking into account Russia’s basic approach.”
Ushakov accused Kiev and its European allies of relying on prolonging and escalating the conflict, describing the conversation between Putin and Trump as “very practical and constructive.”
Ushakov quoted Trump as saying that US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner “will continue their attempts to mediate a settlement, and they are ready to make another visit to Moscow.”
The Russian official said that Putin also reminded Trump that his invitation to visit Moscow still stands.
An upcoming meeting between Trump and Zelensky
In a related development, Zelensky announced that he agreed with Trump to meet in the Turkish capital, Ankara, on the sidelines of the upcoming summit.
He stated in a blog post on his social media accounts that he had a phone call with Trump, in which he congratulated him on the occasion of the 250th anniversary of the independence of the United States, describing the phone conversation in which he discussed the latest developments in the Russian-Ukrainian war as “very good.”
Zelensky expressed his thanks to the United States for its support for Ukraine, stressing that his country attaches great importance to this support in defending its independence.
He pointed out that there is a real opportunity to end the war, and that the position of the United States will be decisive in this context, pointing out that he agreed with Trump to continue the discussion on this matter directly during the upcoming NATO summit.
Mutual attacks
On the ground, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced – yesterday, Saturday – its control over 5 villages in eastern Ukraine: Shekiyivka, Novy Mir, Chernyshina, and Drozlyubivka in the Kharkiv region, and Vasilievka in the Donetsk region.
On the other hand, the Russian authorities reported that St. Petersburg – the second largest city in Russia – and the surrounding Leningrad region were subjected to a major attack by Ukrainian drones during the past hours, targeting a port there and oil infrastructure.
St. Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov said that the city, with a population of about 6 million people, was subjected to a “large-scale” attack with drones, while the city’s oil station was targeted.
He pointed out that there were no casualties and that the repercussions of the attack were managed to be dealt with, while the Governor of the Leningrad Region, Alexander Drozdenko, stated that a drone targeted the port of Vysotsk, located about 170 kilometers northwest of St. Petersburg on the Baltic Sea. The port is used to ship oil, grains, coal and liquefied natural gas.
Drozdenko added that air defenses shot down 72 drones over the Leningrad region, and that minor damage was caused to residential communities. He did not provide information about the impact of this on the port of Vysotsk.
The Ukrainian president said that his country’s forces targeted oil infrastructure in ports that generate revenues to finance the Russian war, and bombed Kronstadt, an important military target located more than 850 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.
Ukrainian denial and Russian confirmation
In a related development, Zelensky denied that Russian forces took control of the strategic city of Kostyantinivka in the east of the country, where the Russian Ministry of Defense had announced its control.
The Ukrainian president said that Moscow’s announcement was just another Russian lie and an attempt to fabricate some kind of news story, he said.
He added, “If Kostyantinivka was already under Russian control, Putin would have no problem meeting me there to search for a diplomatic path that would finally put an end to this war.”
In this context, the Ukrainian General Staff said that the city of Kostyantinivka is still under the control of Ukrainian forces.
It confirmed in a statement that “the military units and formations of the Nineteenth Corps in the Eastern Forces Group continue to carry out defensive operations on the specified locations inside and around the city.”
On the other hand, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov – speaking to Russian radio – mocked Zelensky’s proposed meeting, and said that Kostyantinivka is already part of Russia, and that the Kremlin’s invitation to Zelensky to meet with Putin in Moscow still stands.
Last month, Zelensky wrote to Putin to hold direct talks with him as a step towards peace, but he rejects any meeting in the Russian capital.
The Russian Ministry of Defense said that it was ready to hand over the bodies of Ukrainian soldiers killed in the city of Kostyantinivka after taking full control of it, putting forward a proposal for a 6-hour ceasefire on Monday around the city to allow the exchange process, and gave Ukraine until noon on Sunday to respond.
The Russian TASS news agency quoted a commander in the town – known as Ajalo – as saying that operations to clear the town were “nearing their end” and that Russian forces had already begun setting up combat positions.
These developments come against the backdrop of mutual escalation on the ground between Russia and Ukraine, while American and international efforts have failed to end the war, which has entered its fifth year.
