1 dies in Crimea as Putin, Zelenskyy hold separate calls with Trump

quick take

1. Kremlin described Putin’s conversation with Trump as “constructive”. Kre­mlin foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov said the call lasted 90 minutes and focused on the Ukraine conflict.
2. It said that Putin reiterated Russia’s conditions for peace.
3. However, Zelenskyy stressed on the need for continued US support.

Moscow: One person was killed and two others were injured in a Ukrainian attack on Russian-occupied Crimea, Russia-installed officials said early on Sunday, as Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy held separate phone calls with US President Donald Trump on efforts to end the war, now in fifth year.

Russia-installed Crimea Governor Sergei Aksyonov said the attack struck northern Crimea, leaving one person seriously injured. He did not provide further details.

The strike came amid intensified Ukrainian attacks on key infrastructure in Crimea as Kyiv seeks to disrupt Russian control over the strategically important peninsula. Crimea was seized by Russia and illegally annexed in 2014, a move not recognised by Ukraine and most of the international community.

The latest developments followed separate conversations between Trump and the Russian and Ukrainian leaders.

On X, Zelenskyy said he congratulated Trump on the 250th anniversary of US independence and discussed the battlefield situation. “There is a real prospect of ending this war, and America’s determination will be crucial,” Zelenskyy said, adding, the two leaders agreed to continue discussions in person during the upcoming Nato summit in Ankara.

The Kremlin described Putin’s conversation with Trump as “constructive”. Kre­mlin foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov said the call lasted nearly one-and-a-half hours and focused on the Ukraine conflict.

According to Ushakov, Trump reaffirmed his willingness to help secure a quick end to hostilities and pursue a peaceful settlement, while Putin reiterated Russia’s preference for a diplomatic solution that takes Moscow’s core positions into account.

Ushakov also said Putin accused Kyiv and its Euro­pe­an allies of prolonging the conflict and claimed Russian forces continued to make gains on the battlefield, inclu­ding the capture of Kostyan­tynivka. Ukraine has denied the claim.