The Kremlin released the following statement after the phone meeting between Trump and Putin. In the statement, the Kremlin emphasizes—boldly—that "it is necessary to eliminate the root cause of the conflict."

For Putin, the "root of the conflict" is Zelensky's government, suggesting that in the upcoming negotiations, Russia will once again demand what it has sought since the start of the invasion: the removal of Zelensky's government and the installation of a more Russia-aligned administration.