The news was confirmed by the Kremlin in an official statement.

According to the Kremlin, Putin expressed concern about the possibility that advanced American weapons in the hands of Ukrainian forces could lead to a further escalation of the conflict. The warning clearly indicated that such a move by Washington would have direct negative consequences for bilateral relations between the two powers.

Putin's advisor Yuriy Ushakov told reporters that Putin emphasized in the conversation that Russian forces currently have"full strategic initiative" along the entire front line in Ukraine.

Ushakov added that today's call, which lasted almost two and a half hours, was initiated by the Russian side. He also announced that the planned new summit between the two presidents will be preceded by a conversation between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, which should take place in the coming days.