Putin told his US counterpart Donald Trump in a phone call that Moscow would not give up on its goals in Ukraine, which include eliminating the so-called"root causes" of the conflict. According to Reuters, Kremlin adviser for international affairs Yuri Ushakov told reporters after the two leaders' roughly hour-long conversation. However, Putin also told Trump that Russia was still interested in continuing negotiations and reaching an agreement on a settlement of the conflict. According to Ushakov, Trump raised the issue of a quick end to the war in the phone call.

Moscow has cited Kiev's intention to join NATO and the pro-Western revolution in 2014 that led to the overthrow of the pro-Russian regime in Ukraine as the root causes of the war. It has also demanded international recognition of Russia's annexation of the occupied territories.

However, according to Ushakov, Putin also informed Trump that Russia"continues to strive for a political and negotiated solution to the conflict," and emphasized "the desire of the Russian side to continue the negotiation process." So far, this has included two direct negotiations between Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Istanbul, the tangible results of which, however, were only agreements on the exchange of prisoners and the dead.

The two presidents also discussed conflicts in the Middle East, including the recent air war between Israel and Iran. The Kremlin chief called for their settlement"exclusively through political and diplomatic means," Ushakov said.

The two leaders also"confirmed interest in implementing a number of promising economic projects, particularly in the fields of energy and space research," Ushakov added, according to AFP.

It was the sixth public conversation between the two leaders since Trump returned to the White House in January, Reuters reported. The call was linked to Trump's so-far fruitless efforts to broker a ceasefire in Ukraine, which has been fighting Russian aggression for four years. The two presidents last spoke on June 14, when they focused mainly on Iran.

Daddy's home. Smiling video of Trump after returning from NATO summit

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday that"doubts" about the US's stance on Europe underscore the need to strengthen cooperation between European states through the European Union and NATO. He also hopes to speak with US President Donald Trump on Friday or in the coming days. He wants to discuss the US decision to limit the supply of air defense missiles and other ammunition to Ukraine over concerns about its own shortages, Reuters and AFP reported.

"Now that there are doubts about the continued support of the US for Europe, it is even more important to strengthen our cooperation and coordination through the EU, NATO, and also in our direct relations," the Ukrainian president said in Aarhus, Denmark, at a meeting with leaders of Denmark and the EU.

The Kommersant newspaper links Putin's planned conversation with Trump with reports that Washington has suspended some deliveries of American weapons to Ukraine, at a time when they were already ready for shipment in Europe. Ukraine was to receive dozens of Patriot air defense missiles, 250 high-precision missiles for HIMARS and M270 MLRS rocket launchers, Hellfire, Stinger, AIM missiles and grenade launchers from the US. The Kremlin welcomed the news, saying that the suspension of weapons deliveries should accelerate the completion of the Russian campaign against Ukraine.

Trump is expected to speak by phone with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday, the Financial Times reported. The Ukrainian president also said later, according to Reuters, that he hoped to speak with the White House chief of staff on Friday or in the coming days about US arms deliveries to Ukraine. Zelensky also said, according to Reuters, that he was ready to attend a leaders' meeting aimed at ending the war.