Putin tells Trump Russia has no plans for Europe as Kyiv weighs US ideas

Kyiv,UPDATED: Sep 8, 2026 21:43 IST

Russia and Ukraine signalled sharply different positions on Tuesday as diplomatic contacts involving Washington continued. A senior Kremlin official said President Vladimir Putin told US President Donald Trump in a phone call that Moscow had no aggressive plans towards Europe, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said US envoys had brought some "very good, worthwhile ideas" on ending the four-and-a-half-year war and that he hoped to meet Trump within two weeks.

There was, however, no sign of an immediate breakthrough. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia remained focused on achieving its military goals and believed that "victory is very close", while US Undersecretary of Defense Elbridge Colby told countries supporting Kyiv: "We must be prepared for a protracted conflict and for Ukraine's requirements to persist in the months and years ahead."

US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff visited Moscow and Kyiv over the weekend for separate talks with Putin and Zelenskyy. The meetings appeared to produce no substantial progress towards ending the war, and both sides resumed air attacks after a weekend truce in their capitals during the American visits. Officials said the attacks killed at least five civilians and injured 25 in Kyiv, while Russian officials reported three people killed and 13 wounded in areas under Moscow's control.

Yuri Ushakov, Putin's foreign affairs adviser, said the hourlong call between Putin and Trump was "constructive and quite frank" and that Moscow viewed the weekend visit by Witkoff and Kushner positively. There was no immediate comment from the White House. Ushakov said that, amid "speculation about Russia's alleged hostile intentions toward European countries", it was underlined that "we don't have any aggressive plans regarding Europe." His remarks came after European officials blamed Moscow for sabotage campaigns, including what Germany last week described as an attempted attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport in August using a drone carrying explosives. Ushakov also said Putin told Trump about the battlefield situation in Ukraine and Russia's plans to make gains and achieve its military goals in what Moscow calls its "special military operation".

Zelenskyy said he was counting on meeting Trump around September 20, when the UN General Assembly is due to be held in New York. He indicated that he would press Trump for more Patriot air defence systems to counter Russian ballistic missiles. Thanking US officials for trying to unblock talks with Russia that have remained stalled since early this year, Zelenskyy said: "As for the peace package that Kushner spoke about and the new ideas, I'll tell you frankly, there were indeed a couple of very good, worthwhile ideas." He said the proposals would remain under wraps for now, but expressed hope that talks involving Ukrainian, Russian and US delegations could take place in the autumn.

Ukraine needs 300 Patriot missiles from its partners' stocks, 500 air-to-air interceptors and USD 2 billion for more drones, Wes Streeting told the meeting of countries helping Kyiv. Also on Tuesday, the European Commission approved a 3.2 billion euro loan for Kyiv to buy components for Patriot air defence systems, Ukraine's Defence Ministry said on Telegram. Zelenskyy said Ukraine was "ready to find a compromise" on grain exports and energy. Moscow and Kyiv have targeted each other's grain ships in the Black Sea, while Ukraine has struck Russian oil facilities and Russia has hit Ukraine's power grid ahead of winter.

Peskov said he believed that "victory is very close" and added, "We're very confident in our military potential," while also insisting that Russia wanted a peaceful solution and welcomed Trump's diplomatic efforts. Putin has sought to present Russia as negotiating from a position of strength, but European officials and Western analysts say its larger army has not made significant progress along the 1,250-kilometre front line, where it is trying to capture the Donetsk region. The Institute for the Study of War said on Sunday: "Russian forces will not seize Donetsk ... until 2032 at their current rate of advance - if they can seize it at all."

Ukraine's Interior Minister Ivan Vyhivskyi said Russia's main targets in the overnight attack were Kyiv and the southern Odesa region. Explosions were heard in Kyiv for nearly five hours, and more than 50 sites, including residential buildings, dormitories, schools, shops and petrol stations, were damaged, he said. Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called it "a horrific attack" and accused Putin of undermining US peace efforts. Russia's Defence Ministry said it had launched a massive overnight strike on facilities linked to Ukraine's military industry, including sites storing drones and cruise missiles and transport, logistics and distribution centres for military cargo in Kyiv and the surrounding region.

The day ended with fresh diplomacy, renewed strikes and no clear move towards peace: Moscow said Putin had reassured Trump over Europe, Kyiv said new US ideas were worth considering, and both sides continued the war while restating their negotiating positions.

With PTI Inputs

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