The Japan Times - Zelensky says will discuss Ukraine war with Trump at G7 summit

Earlier on Sunday, Trump's 80th birthday, Zelensky spoke by phone with the US leader.

The call was made public shortly before the Kremlin said Russian President Vladimir Putin also rang Trump to speak about the wars in Ukraine and Iran.

Zelensky said on social media he and Trump "discussed things that could help bring about peace now, and I informed the president about the latest developments on the battlefield and how our position has strengthened."

"We agreed that we will discuss more during our meeting at the G7 Summit. We have some good ideas that could help advance peace and protect lives," Zelensky added.

Trump will take part in a G7 working session with Zelensky in France on Tuesday.

US-led talks to end the conflict in Ukraine -- grinding through its fifth year -- have been sidelined by the Iran war and Russian advances on the battlefield are showing signs of losing steam.

Trump has pushed both sides to end the conflict after initially boasting he could end the war within a day of taking office.

He also repeatedly leaned on Ukraine to make compromises with Russia, which invaded in February 2022.

- Trump-Putin call -

In a statement issued shortly after Zelensky announced his call with Trump, the Kremlin said Putin and his US counterpart had held a "friendly and frank" phone call.

"The conversation focused on the situation surrounding the memorandum of understanding being drafted between the United States and Iran," Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters.

"Donald Trump said an agreement is close and he hopes the results of the difficult, but ultimately successful, negotiations could be announced today," Ushakov said.

Both leaders also agreed that "US presidential special representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who are currently closely involved in Iranian affairs, will return to Russia soon".

Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Kushner have been involved in shuttle diplomacy between Russia and Ukraine but the peace process has largely stalled since the US-Israeli strikes on Iran in February.

Ushakov said Putin told Trump that "no attempts" by Kyiv "to strike civilian infrastructure in Russia will change the critical situation for Ukraine on the battlefield."

Amid near-daily pummelling of its cities by Russian drones and missiles, Ukraine has in recent weeks stepped up its own aerial attacks, which it says mostly target Russia's oil infrastructure to sap its profits that fund the war.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has turned into Europe's worst conflict since World War II, with thousands of civilians and hundreds of thousands of troops killed.

Y.Hara--JT