Ukraine war briefing: Trump repositions himself as peacemaker in long call with Putin

On 5 July 2026, outlets reported that Trump had spoken by phone with both Putin and Zelenskyy on US Independence Day, 4 July. The call with Putin lasted about 90 minutes, and Trump offered to help end the war in Ukraine. Bloomberg wrote that Putin and Trump also discussed Iran, and a Belarusian outlet wrote that Russia expressed readiness to help de-escalation around Iran. Zelenskyy said he held a call with Trump and agreed to meet him at the Ankara summit.

The calls came ahead of the NATO summit in Ankara. Trump is to meet Zelenskyy and Syria's al-Sharaa on the sidelines. The Telegraph wrote that Trump threatened NATO on the eve of the summit, and the Globe and Mail wrote that Rutte faces a challenge meeting Trump's demands.