Trump Tells Putin Swift Ukraine Peace Could Restore U.S.-Russia Trade Ties

According to CNBC, U.S. President Donald Trump told Russian President Vladimir Putin that a swift resolution to the Ukraine war could pave the way for the two countries to fully restore trade and economic ties, according to a Kremlin readout of their call. Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said the leaders spoke for exactly one hour on Tuesday and described the conversation as constructive and very candid, while Trump said he wanted the war to end as soon as possible. Ushakov added that Putin gave Trump an objective and thorough assessment of Russia's military operation and said Putin also outlined what the American side could do to help end the fighting quickly. The conversation came after U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner visited Moscow and Kyiv to try to revive stalled diplomatic talks. Russia has resumed air attacks on major Ukrainian cities after a brief pause for the visit, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Wednesday there has been too little response from the international community to the latest deadly strikes.