President Donald Trump told Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday that ending the war in Ukraine is critical and that he is prepared to help, according to Putin adviser Yuri Ushakov, as reported by Russia’s TASS news agency. The call, which lasted about 55 minutes, was the first direct conversation between the two leaders since they met in Alaska in August 2025.
During the call, Trump also informed Putin that the United States is nearing a peace deal with Iran, Ushakov said. The adviser described the exchange as “friendly and frank.”
Putin wished Trump a happy 80th birthday “in an informal manner,” Ushakov said. In a greeting published on the Kremlin’s website, Putin said: “Dear Mr President, dear Donald, I wholeheartedly congratulate you, such a bright, remarkable person and politician, on your 80th birthday!”
“I valued the mutual understanding between us, which allows us to discuss … even the most complex issues on the bilateral and international agenda openly and frankly,” Putin wrote, according to Russian news agencies. “I am certain that together we could truly give Russian-American relations a new quality, and also do much to ensure security and stability on the world stage.”
Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and the war continues more than four years later. The conflict has now lasted longer than World War I, which continued for 1,566 days. Peace negotiations have largely been on hold, but Trump officials said during the G7 summit last week that they want the war to end “as quickly as possible,” according to a senior official who briefed reporters.
Trump, who turned 80 on Sunday, planned to celebrate his birthday with a cage match on the White House South Lawn. The event, “UFC Freedom 250,” is a $60 million exhibition featuring a 92-foot steel structure and seven fighting bouts.