Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump held a prolonged name Saturday to debate the escalating situation in the Middle East and Russia’s warfare in Ukraine.
Trump in a posting on his Fact Social platform mentioned they spent the majority of their dialog targeted on Israel’s ongoing blistering assaults geared toward decapitating Iran’s nuclear program and Iran’s retaliatory strikes. However Trump mentioned that he additionally pressed Putin to finish Russia’s war in Ukraine.
“He feels, as do I, this warfare in Israel-Iran ought to finish, to which I defined, his warfare must also finish,” mentioned Trump, who added the dialog went about an hour.
Putin overseas affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov mentioned Putin briefed Trump on his latest talks with the leaders of Iran and Israel and reiterated Russia’s proposal to hunt mutually acceptable options on the Iranian nuclear problem.
“Vladimir Putin, having condemned the navy operation towards Iran, expressed severe concern concerning the attainable escalation of the battle,” Ushakov advised reporters. He added that Putin raised considerations that escalating battle between Israel and Iran threatened “unpredictable penalties for all the state of affairs within the Center East.”
Putin additionally emphasised Russia’s readiness to hold out attainable mediation efforts, and famous that Russia had proposed steps “geared toward discovering mutually acceptable agreements” throughout U.S.-Iran negotiations on the Iranian nuclear program.
The Russia-Iran relationship has deepened since Putin launched a warfare on Ukraine in February 2022, with Tehran offering Moscow with drones, ballistic missiles, and different help, according to U.S. intelligence findings.
“Russia’s principled method and curiosity within the settlement stay unchanged,” Ushakov mentioned.
Trump described the regional state of affairs as “very alarming,” Ushakov mentioned, however acknowledged the “effectiveness” of Israel’s strikes on targets in Iran.
The leaders didn’t rule out a attainable return to negotiations on the Iranian nuclear program, in keeping with Ushakov.
Trump’s particular envoy Steve Witkoff had been set to journey on Sunday to Oman for a sixth spherical of talks with Iranian officers geared toward curbing Tehran’s nuclear program — a gathering that was set earlier than Israel launched strikes on Friday. However Oman’s overseas minister, Badr al-Busaidi, mentioned on Saturday that the assembly wouldn’t happen as deliberate.
Putin and Trump additionally mentioned the continuing alternate of warfare prisoners between Russia and Ukraine. The 2 sides traded extra prisoners on Saturday underneath an association brokered throughout talks between the 2 sides in Istanbul earlier this month.
“Our president famous that an alternate of prisoners of warfare is going down, together with significantly wounded and prisoners of warfare underneath 25 years of age,” Ushakov mentioned, together with expressing readiness to proceed negotiations with the Ukrainians.
Trump mentioned Putin additionally wished him “a Completely satisfied Birthday.” The U.S. chief turned 79 on Saturday.
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Related Press author Aamer Madhani in Washington contributed to this report.
