Russian President Vladimir Putin has assured his US counterpart Donald Trump that Moscow harbours no aggressive intentions towards Europe, the Kremlin said, as the two leaders discussed a settlement to the Ukraine conflict in an "extremely frank" phone call.

Tuesday’s conversation "lasted exactly an hour, was constructive and extremely frank," Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters, adding that the call was "strictly confidential."

Putin "emphasised that we have absolutely no aggressive plans whatsoever towards Europe", Ushakov said.

The presidents exchanged views on the recent visits to Moscow and Kiev by special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, whose efforts to advance negotiations were assessed positively, he added.

"Overall, the visit of the aforementioned American representatives was assessed positively," Ushakov said.

‘Realistic assessment’

Trump, Ushakov added, emphasised the need to bring the conflict in Ukraine to an early end, which could open the way for a broad resumption of relations between Russia and the US.

Ushakov said Putin gave Trump "a realistic assessment" of the situation on the battlefield, and the two sides discussed what Washington could do to help bring the hostilities to an end more quickly.

According to him, the presidents also agreed to continue work on humanitarian issues, including prisoner exchanges, and to remain in contact.

Ushakov said the leaders also discussed "European narratives about a Russian threat", which he said are "being used to justify support for Ukraine and increased European military spending".

Witkoff and Kushner met Putin in Moscow on Saturday before travelling to Kiev for talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a day later. Moscow described the meeting with Putin as "substantive, constructive and highly useful", but no specific breakthrough was announced.