Key facts
- Donald Trump described his call with Vladimir Putin as 'great' on September 9.
- Trump stated Putin wants to make a deal to end the war in Ukraine.
- Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff visited Kyiv and Moscow to discuss peace.
- Russian strikes on Sumy killed at least two and injured 20, including three children.
- A Russian attack on Kyiv killed at least five and injured 35.
- Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said the U.S. should stop supporting Kyiv.
U.S. President Donald Trump described his recent call with Russian President Vladimir Putin as "great," stating that Putin wants to make a deal to end the war in Ukraine. Trump's comments on September 9 came as Russian forces intensified strikes across Ukrainian cities following the end of a limited ceasefire enacted during visits by Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff to Kyiv and Moscow.
Trump said he spoke with Putin on September 9 about ending the war, adding that "if Zelensky is wanting to make a deal, that'd be very nice." He suggested the holdup was personal animosity between Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Kushner and Witkoff's visits to Kyiv and Moscow to discuss peace options did not appear to yield a major breakthrough, with Zelensky stating after the meeting that he expects "the war will continue" into the winter months.
The Kremlin has repeatedly rejected a ceasefire and demanded that Kyiv cede the Donbas region, while Ukraine has called for a ceasefire along current front lines and stressed the need for Western-backed security guarantees. Following Trump's call with Putin, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told Russian state broadcaster VGTRK that the U.S. should stop supporting Kyiv to help end the war.
Russian strikes hammered cities across Ukraine. On September 8, a mass Russian missile and drone attack on Kyiv overnight killed at least five people and injured 35, sparking large fires. A suspected Russian drone also violated Moldovan airspace on September 8, the same day Trump spoke with Putin, raising fears of an assassination attempt on Zelensky as he was scheduled to fly to Norway. Around the same time Trump was boarding Air Force One on September 9, Russian forces struck a shopping and entertainment center in Sumy, killing at least two and injuring 20, including three children.
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