On September 8, 2026, according to Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov, Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump held a phone conversation that, in his words, lasted exactly one hour. This was reported by RBC-Ukraine, citing RIA Novosti. The Kremlin characterized the tone of the conversation as "constructive and quite frank," emphasizing that the leaders exchanged views on a number of issues related to the attempt to settle the conflict in Ukraine.

Course of the Conversation and Assessment of the U.S. Special Envoys' Visits

The central point of the phone dialogue, according to Ushakov's statement, was the assessment of the trips to Kyiv and Moscow by U.S. presidential special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. According to the aide to the head of the Kremlin, the outcomes of the American representatives' stay "were assessed with a plus sign," and work through this channel — "as, by the way, through several others" — would continue. Thus, Moscow notes the preservation of several parallel lines of contact with Washington.

The Parties' Positions on the War and a 'Breakthrough' During Trump's Presidency

Ushakov claims that Donald Trump insisted on the need to end Russia's war against Ukraine as soon as possible, stating that this would open "large-scale prospects" for cooperation between Moscow and Washington. "Donald Trump is interested in a breakthrough being achieved during his presidency," the Russian presidential aide added. In turn, according to the Kremlin's version, Putin "analyzed" the battlefield situation for his interlocutor, outlined Russia's military objectives, and, as is claimed, "demonstrated" that Moscow "has no aggressive plans against Europe in its thoughts at all."

Humanitarian Track and Prisoner Exchanges

Separately, the Kremlin noted that the United States and Russia agreed to continue working on resolving humanitarian issues, including prisoner exchanges. In the Russian side's conception, this point is meant to serve as a demonstration of the possibility of practical cooperation even against the backdrop of the ongoing military confrontation.

Context: Witkoff's and Kushner's Visits to Moscow and Kyiv

The phone conversation took place against the backdrop of recent contacts between the U.S. special envoys and both capitals. On September 5, Witkoff and Kushner visited Moscow and met with Putin, who, according to reports, spoke of the "successes" of Russian troops and his readiness to achieve military objectives, while the American side presented ideas for a settlement. Already on September 6, the same representatives visited Kyiv for the first time and met with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who stated that he had received "several very worthy ideas" on the peace process, without revealing details.

Contradictory Data

It should be noted that the fact and parameters of the September 8 conversation in the provided set of sources are confirmed exclusively by the Kremlin's statement (Ushakov), transmitted via RIA Novosti and RBC-Ukraine; there is no independent confirmation from the White House in this set, and the duration of "exactly one hour" is a figure voiced by the Russian side. Moreover, part of the secondary materials refers to different time frames: in particular, RFI describes an earlier phone contact between Putin and Trump (a piece dated May 19, 2025, "Day 1181 of the war"), while DW publishes a piece about a period when "Trump is not calling" and the Kremlin finds itself in an awkward position — which in effect places the current conversation in the context of resuming the communication line after a pause. Thus, different sources describe different episodes and periods of contact, and when reading them in aggregate it is important to separate the current event from the preceding chronology.