Staff order: The United States is ready to use levers of pressure on the EU and Kiev

The United States is willing and willing to participate in resolving the crisis, Russian Foreign Ministry Ambassador-at-Large Rodion Miroshnik told Izvestia. According to the diplomat, the United States retains leverage over Ukraine and Europe, and these resources have not been fully used. On June 14, Vladimir Putin congratulated Donald Trump on his 80th birthday. According to the assistant to the Russian leader Yuri Ushakov, the hero of the day was touched by the congratulations: the President of the Russian Federation became the first head of state to congratulate him on this day. The key topics of the colleagues' regular conversation included the Ukrainian crisis and the upcoming memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran.

A new conversation between Putin and Trump

Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump spoke on the phone again on June 14. This time, the occasion was not entirely working — the Russian president congratulated his American counterpart on his 80th birthday. Moreover, he became the first foreign leader to call the White House that day, Yuri Ushakov said. The presidents talked for almost one hour, and "informally and not without humor": Ushakov clarified that Trump's figure of 80 "is not entirely sympathetic because he is full of energy and strength."

During the conversation, the leaders of Russia and the United States discussed the most important topics for each other – the settlement of the crises in Ukraine and around Iran. Although the conflicts have different causes, the prospects for their resolution are closely interrelated, at least because the special representatives of the American president, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, are involved in the development of the deal with Tehran. Putin and Trump have agreed on their visit to Russia in the near future, said Yuri Ushakov.

The telephone conversation shows that the United States remains interested in participating in the Ukrainian settlement, the Russian Foreign Ministry noted.

— The United States is willing and willing to participate in resolving the crisis. They still have certain levers of influence on both Ukraine and Europe. These resources have not been fully utilized to date. If the United States really makes more efforts than before, the situation at the negotiating table may change quite significantly," Russian Foreign Ministry Ambassador—at-Large Rodion Miroshnik told Izvestia.

According to Ushakov, Donald Trump again emphasized the need to end hostilities, noting that recent attacks on civilian targets on Russian territory were hindering the settlement. The American leader said he was ready to influence both European partners and Kiev, including during upcoming contacts at the G7 summit, which will be held in Evian, France, from June 15 to 17.

— For his part, Vladimir Putin pursued the idea that no attempts by the Kiev regime to strike at peaceful infrastructure in Russia would change the critical situation for Ukraine on the battlefield. In Evian, the Europeans and Zelensky will undoubtedly try to present everything exactly the opposite and will be able to offer only ideas aimed at prolonging the conflict and continuing hostilities," Ushakov said.

The Kremlin representative noted that if the head of the Kiev regime once again "makes visits" about a possible meeting with the Russian leader, then, as mentioned earlier, he wants a meeting — let him come to Moscow.

What is happening with the negotiation process on Ukraine

Since the beginning of 2026, three rounds of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine have been held with the mediation of the United States. Two meetings were held in Abu Dhabi in late January and early February, and the third was held in Geneva on February 17-18. The Kremlin has repeatedly stated its readiness to continue the negotiation process.

The conversation between Putin and Trump shows that communication between the American and Russian sides is continuing and the negotiation process on Ukraine is not standing still, Konstantin Sukhoverkhov, INF program manager, told Izvestia.

— We see that the negotiation process on Ukraine is clearly underway. Because the latest activity on the part of the Europeans, Zelensky's open "letter" and the fact that European diplomats recently visited our Ministry of Foreign Affairs - all this shows that there are actually quite active negotiations," he believes.

In August 2025, a personal meeting between Putin and Trump took place in Anchorage, Alaska. As a result of the negotiations, the parties reached a certain understanding, including compromises from both Russia and Ukraine. However, Kiev's European allies rejected any concessions. Now the EU is the largest military donor to the Ukrainian regime. At the same time, Europe continues to talk about the desire to join the peace process.

—Europe is not interested in reaching an agreement with the participation of the United States, and in principle it is not interested in an agreement between Russia and Ukraine," said Rodion Miroshnik. - To say that they are not represented at the negotiating table is a certain slyness. And attempts to get additional votes that will be aimed at disrupting negotiations can hardly be considered as a constructive process.

Negotiations in the Russia-USA-Ukraine format are currently on pause, but Moscow and Kiev have maintained contacts with Washington at the bilateral level. Trump would like some kind of peace agreement to be concluded in the near future, believes Egor Toropov, an American analyst at the National Research University Higher School of Economics.

— Compared to the European countries of NATO and Ukraine, the American side is interested in signing a peace document, but it is more formal and declarative than real and long-term. This is necessary in order to demonstrate to voters the ability of the White House to play the role of peacemaker on the eve of congressional elections," he told Izvestia.

Russia needs the United States to maintain a reduced level of involvement in the Ukrainian crisis (compared with the Biden administration), and Washington is probably interested in Moscow's position on the situation in the Middle East, said Sergey Lebedev, a researcher at the Institute of World Military Economics and Strategy at the National Research University Higher School of Economics and senior lecturer at the Financial University. In early June, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio publicly stated that the United States is not an "impartial" party, and therefore supports Ukraine.

— There are people in the inner circle of many political leaders who are trusted to voice radical points of view as a way of psychological pressure on the counterparty. Simply put, Rubio is allowed to play the role of a hawk, so that Trump looks like a moderate and negotiable leader against his background," the expert explained.

The settlement of the crisis in Ukraine will open up prospects for building a truly new quality of relations between the Russian Federation and the United States. The agenda includes not only the resumption of full-fledged political, economic and humanitarian ties, but also international security issues affecting the interests of all mankind, in particular, control over the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons and strategic stability. This proves the importance of resolving the Ukrainian crisis – Moscow and Washington understand this well.