Kremlin aide Ushakov said early on the 10th that in a call with Trump Putin outlined measures Russia has taken in response to what he described as terrorist attacks by Ukrainian armed forces. Putin said Ukrainian efforts to disrupt the State Duma vote and attacks on civilians have destroyed the possibility of an immediate resumption of talks. He added that Ukrainian attempts to stop Russian advances have no prospect of success, that Russian forces hold the initiative on the battlefield and are c

Kremlin aide Ushakov said early on the 10th that in a call with Trump Putin outlined measures Russia has taken in response to what he described as terrorist attacks by Ukrainian armed forces. Putin said Ukrainian efforts to disrupt the State Duma vote and attacks on civilians have destroyed the possibility of an immediate resumption of talks. He added that Ukrainian attempts to stop Russian advances have no prospect of success, that Russian forces hold the initiative on the battlefield and are continuing to push forward. Trump has instructed that Putin’s message be passed to the Ukrainian delegation. Ushakov said no concrete discussion has taken place on a bilateral Putin‑Trump meeting.