This article was originally published by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and is reprinted with permission.

Russian President Vladimir Putin told US President Donald Trump in a phone call that Moscow will not give up its goals in Ukraine as any remaining hope for a cease-fire in the more than 40-month war crumbles.

Putin told Trump that “Russia will achieve its goals” in Ukraine and “will not abandon” them, according to Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov, who spoke with reporters following the July 3 call. Russia is seeking to conquer Ukraine and bring the independent country back into its fold.

The call, which lasted about an hour, was the sixth between the two leaders since Trump took office on January 20. The White House had yet to comment on the call.

Trump has made ending the war in Ukraine a top foreign policy objective, launching an intense track of diplomacy with Kyiv and Moscow just weeks into his presidency.

However, the effort, which included a demand for a 30-day cease-fire, has failed in the face of Kremlin intransigency.

Putin believes he is winning the war and therefore has little incentive to negotiate now, experts say. Russia’s troops continue to advance on the battlefield in eastern Ukraine, albeit at extraordinary human and material costs.

In their most significant advance of the year, Russian forces last month coupled territorial gains with the fiercest aerial assaults since the war began on February 24, 2022.

Ukraine has called on the West, especially the United States, to send more weapons and impose greater sanctions on Russia to force Moscow to the negotiating table.

Since taking the office, Trump has not approved any new weapons deliveries for Ukraine nor imposed any new sanctions on Russia. He has countered that imposing sanctions on Russia would hurt peace negotiations.

Earlier this week, White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said the United States was halting some military aid approved under predecessor, President Joe Biden, because the country was running low on stocks.

Ushakov claimed this matter was not raised during Trump’s call with Putin. He added that Putin told Trump during the call that Russia was still interested in a “negotiated solution” to the war.

Russian and Ukrainian officials have met this year for the first time since the beginning of the war but made little progress as both sides are still far apart.

The Kremlin wants Ukraine to surrender territory, demilitarize, and reject NATO membership aspirations — demands that cross its red lines.

Experts say that Putin is continuing to claim support to the idea of peace talks to appease Trump who has staked a lot on reaching a deal.