Putin, Zelensky both call Trump on his 80th birthday, discuss war

Donald Trump marked his 80th birthday Sunday by speaking back-to-back by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, exchanging views on the Russia-Ukraine war. Trump is expected to coordinate further with G7 leaders on the conflict at the Group of Seven summit in Évian, France, running Monday through Wednesday.

Russia's state-run TASS news agency reported that Putin and Trump discussed the war in Iran and the war in Ukraine during the call.

Putin, who has shown a deft touch in managing his relationship with Trump, offered another round of lavish diplomatic flattery — congratulating Trump on his birthday and praising his ability to pursue goals with tenacity.

According to TASS, Trump stressed the need to end the Russia-Ukraine war and said he was "ready to work with everyone — Europe, Ukraine and others — to resolve the conflict." Trump also thanked Putin for the birthday wishes, noting that Putin was the first foreign leader to call the White House that day.

Trump also announced Sunday that an end-of-war agreement with Iran had been reached. In a separate phone interview with The New York Times, he said Chinese President Xi Jinping and Putin had both helped bring the deal together.

Zelensky posted on social media that he had spoken with Trump, saying he "congratulated him on his birthday and had quite a detailed discussion on several key issues." He added that he had briefed Trump on the latest situation on the battlefield and that the two agreed to meet at the G7 summit for further talks.

Zelensky aide Dmytro Lytvyn told reporters the two leaders had "a substantive conversation" that lasted 30 to 35 minutes. He said the call covered "everything from wishing President Trump a happy 80th birthday to diplomacy, war and peace."

Meanwhile, Ukrainian authorities said their forces carried out overnight strikes on Russia's northwestern Yaroslavl region, hitting supply-related facilities and an explosives factory in the Tula region. The attacks disrupted flight operations at six Russian airports, and air raid alerts were issued across 28 Russian regions.

Ukraine has been turning the tide in recent months by deploying long-range drones and other unmanned weapons. An analysis of data from the US think tank Institute for the Study of War, conducted by AFP, found that as of last month Ukrainian forces had recaptured 282 square kilometers more territory from Russia than they had lost. In April, Ukraine recovered roughly 120 square kilometers more than it ceded. It was the first time in two and a half years that Ukraine had reclaimed more territory than Russia had seized.