As you know, today, July 4, the United States
marks its national holiday, the 250th Independence
Day.
The day before, President of Russia
Vladimir Putin sent a
message of greetings to US President
Donald Trump, expressing
confidence that the development of constructive, equal and
mutually beneficial ties serves not only the interests of our
nations but also of the entire international community.
As you may remember, on Russia Day, June 12, the US President
sent a message of warm greetings to Vladimir Putin. In that
message, Donald Trump paid tribute, and I quote, to the "rich
history and culture" of our country and commended the resilience
of the Russian people.
Of course, today's conversation between the two heads of state
began with President Putin congratulating Donald Trump and the
American people on their landmark holiday and recalling Russia's
contribution to the development of American statehood.
In this context, the presidents noted the
importance of treasuring the historical heritage which our
nations share. It was pointed out that our nations will never
forget their alliance during World War II.
The United States is widely celebrating Independence Day today.
This is being done in style and on a grand scale, as Donald
Trump knows how to do it, and our President has mentioned this.
Their conversation, the fourth one this year, was not only
formal but also business-like and constructive.
The leaders candidly discussed current issues
on the bilateral and international agenda. Incidentally, that
conversation lasted nearly an hour and a half, or more
precisely, 85 minutes.
Naturally, the presidents also talked about a Ukrainian
settlement, including in light of Donald Trump's participation
in the upcoming
NATO summit in Turkiye on July
7-8.
The US President reaffirmed his readiness to facilitate an early
termination of the hostilities and the search for peaceful
solutions to the crisis.
His special envoys - Steve Witkoff and
Jared Kushner - will carry on their mediation efforts and
are ready to come to Moscow at our convenience.
The Russian President reaffirmed our commitment to a political
and diplomatic settlement of the conflict, with due
consideration for Russia's known principled approaches.
However, Kiev and its Western sponsors rely on drawing out and
even escalating the conflict and terrorizing civilians.
Moreover, the
European "party of war"
proceeds from a false perception of the overall situation and
developments on the frontline.
Our President has outlined the real situation
on the battlefield, where the Russian Armed Forces are
confidently advancing, liberating one settlement after another.
The establishment of control over one of the Ukrainian Armed
Forces' key fortified settlements, Konstantinovka, is an
important stage in the liberation of the Donetsk People's
Republic.
No matter how hard the Kiev regime clings to
the remaining fortified areas, our army will definitely take
them.
Regarding the situation around Iran, Vladimir Putin has
expressed hope that the negotiation process based on the
memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran
will help find mutually acceptable long-term solutions to the
key aspects of the settlement.
We have confirmed our readiness to provide
practical assistance with the de-escalation and stabilization
efforts in the region. On his part, Donald Trump thanked the
Russian side for our balanced stance and constructive proposals.
With respect to bilateral relations, the presidents stressed the
importance of continuing the contacts, including on military,
political and, certainly, economic issues. There is colossal
potential for mutually beneficial cooperation between our
countries.
Donald Trump stressed that for these
prospects to be realized, it is necessary to put a stop to the
Ukrainian conflict as soon as possible.
It was noted during the conversation that the upcoming launch of
a Russian-US crew from the
Baikonur Space Launch Centre to
the International Space Station is symbolic.
This joint project is a specific example
proving the two powers' interest in close cooperation across
different fields.
Naturally, the same is true about culture that unites our
congenial nations. Incidentally, Donald Trump mentioned that he
personally admires The Hermitage in St Petersburg.
The presidents talked about football as well. Considering
Russia's 2018 experience, Vladimir Putin wished the United
States success with the FIFA World Cup.
The leaders agreed to maintain contact and have another
telephone conversation shortly. The President of Russia reminded
Donald Trump that he has a standing invitation to visit Russia.
It should be noted that the Russian side initiated the previous
telephone conversation on June 14, when Donald Trump celebrated
his 80th birthday.
This time, the initiative to arrange a
conversation on the 250th anniversary of US
independence notably came from our American partners.
July 4, 2026
