Kremlin says Putin and Trump agreed during weekend call to talk again in 'near future'

MOSCOW, July 6 - The Kremlin said on Monday that Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump had agreed in a weekend call that they would talk again "in the near future," suggesting they are likely to talk this week during or after the NATO summit.

Trump is planning to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Wednesday in Turkey where he will be attending the NATO summit, a senior U.S. official said on Sunday. The idea, the official said, was to make a renewed push to end the war in Ukraine.

The same official said Trump would likely follow up with Putin after talking to Zelenskiy. Asked on Monday if Trump would phone Putin after meeting Zelenskiy, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters:

"Yes, indeed, both President Putin and President Trump have agreed that their contacts will continue in the near future."

Peskov said Trump had held a pretty consistent position on the conflict in Ukraine.

"You know, President Trump, the U.S. president, has a fairly consistent stance, and all these fabrications about him supposedly changing his views like a weather vane are, of course, untrue," said Peskov.

"He is consistent and confident in his understanding of what is happening, but, most importantly, he (Trump) is open to listening to the information that is conveyed to him by Putin." REUTERS