One person was killed in a Ukrainian attack on the Russian-occupied Crimean peninsula in the early hours of Sunday morning, officials in Moscow said, as the Russian and Ukrainian presidents held separate calls with US President Donald Trump about ending the war, which has now entered its fifth year.Two other people were injured in the attack in northern Crimea, one of them in serious condition, Russian-appointed regional governor Sergei Aksyonov wrote on Telegram. He did not give details about the attack. In recent weeks, Ukraine has intensified its attacks on key infrastructure targets in Crimea, as the Ukrainian military seeks to isolate the vital Russian-controlled peninsula in the final phase of the war.The latest attacks came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke with Trump about ending the war.
Zelensky wrote on the X website that he called to congratulate Trump on the occasion of the 250th anniversary of America’s independence, and that the two leaders discussed the situation along the front line. “There is a real possibility of ending this war, and America’s determination will be decisive.
We agreed to continue the conversation in person during the NATO summit in Ankara.”The Kremlin said Putin and Trump discussed the conflict in Ukraine in a “constructive” phone call on Saturday.
Kremlin Foreign Affairs Advisor Yuri Ushakov said that Putin congratulated Trump and the American people on the occasion of the 250th anniversary of America’s independence during the call, which lasted approximately an hour and a half, which was the fourth conversation between them so far this year.Ushakov said that Trump reaffirmed his “readiness to help achieve a rapid cessation of hostilities and seek peaceful solutions to resolve the crisis” in Ukraine, while Trump envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will continue mediation efforts. The Kremlin adviser said that Putin once again stressed Russia’s “preference for a diplomatic settlement of the conflict, provided that Russia’s basic positions are taken into account.”
“Ushakov said that Putin accused Kiev and its European allies of “betting on prolonging the conflict and even escalating it,” saying that the European “war party” is based on a wrong perception of the general situation.”