US President Donald Trump expressed disappointment following a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on July 3, where the two leaders made “no progress” on bringing the conflict to an end, Reuters reported on July 3.

Trump said that that the Russian leader appeared uninterested in ending the war in Ukraine, and blamed his predecessor for the growing shortage of weapons that has caused the US to halt deliveries to Kyiv.

“It was a pretty long call. We talked about a lot of things, including Iran. We also talked about the war with Ukraine and I’m not happy about that,” Trump said before boarding Air Force One en route to Iowa for an event marking the US 250th anniversary. “No, I didn’t make any progress,” he added.

Trump reiterated his frustration upon returning to Washington, telling reporters: “I'm very disappointed with the conversation I had today with President Putin, because I don't think he's there, and I'm very disappointed. I'm just saying I don't think he's looking to stop, and that's too bad.”

The call came just days after the Trump administration halted the delivery of weapons, including crucial air defence ammunition, citing depleted US stockpiles following three years of military aid to Kyiv and the recent 12-day conflict between Israel and Iran. The Ukrainian conflict had already run down US stocks, but the Israel-Iran conflict has exacerbated the shortages.

While a ceasefire is currently holding in the Middle East, tensions remain high and Israel's air defences are now in urgent need of replenishment, further straining US supply lines. Trump defended the partial pause in aid to Ukraine, stating: “We’re giving weapons, but we’ve given so many weapons. But we are giving weapons. You know, Biden emptied out our whole country giving them weapons, and we have to make sure that we have enough for ourselves.”

Trump is expected to speak with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on July 4. Zelenskiy, speaking earlier in Denmark, confirmed he is still seeking clarification on the recent halt in US military support. A White House spokesperson said that the halt was a “one-off” event and the US was not entirely abandoning Ukraine. However, since taking office at the start of this year, Trump has not signed off on any new weapons deliveries to Ukraine or new sanctions on Russia whatsoever.

Despite the near hour-long call, the readout released by Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov made no mention of the weapons pause. Within hours of the conversation, Russian forces launched a fresh deadly drone strike on a Kyiv suburb, igniting residential building, Ukrainian officials said.

Efforts to negotiate a ceasefire are now dead in the water. Talks in Riyadh that began on February 18 have collapsed, with Moscow demanding major concessions including a formal pledge that Ukraine will never join Nato and recognition of Russia’s control over occupied territories. This week, Russian forces reportedly had secured full control of the Luhansk region on July 1 – the first of four claimed regions to be entirely occupied by the Kremlin.

Trump previously urged Zelenskiy to accept his seven-point “final offer” peace plan in April, which Kyiv rejected, proposing instead an unconditional 30-day ceasefire counteroffer. Putin dismissed the Ukrainian proposal.

Ushakov said that Moscow’s will not accept any deal that does not recognise the “realities on the ground.”

“Any peace negotiations needed to happen between Moscow and Kyiv,” he said. Ukrainian officials have claimed that during a June meeting in Istanbul on June 3, Russian officials asked US diplomats to leave the room, further indicating a reluctance to engage in three-way talks.