Putin and Trump Discuss Iran, Ukraine in Phone Call

Putin strongly condemned the assassination attempt against Trump at the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner, stressing in particular the unacceptability of any form of politically motivated violence, said Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov on Wednesday after the phone conversation that lasted over an hour and a half.

Among the issues on the international agenda, the two leaders focused primarily on the situation in Iran and the Persian Gulf, according to the Kremlin.

Putin viewed Trump's decision to extend the ceasefire as the right move, as it will help stabilise the situation, Ushakov said, adding that Putin drew attention to the inevitable, extremely dire consequences not only for Iran and its neighbours, but also for the entire international community should the United States and Israel resort to force again.

Russia remains firmly determined to fully support diplomatic efforts aimed at finding a peaceful settlement to the crisis, and has put forward a number of proposals intended to resolve differences over the Iranian nuclear program, said the presidential aide.

Ushakov noted that to this end, Moscow will maintain active contacts with Iranian representatives, leaders of Persian Gulf states, as well as with Israel and the US negotiating team, reports Xinhua news agency.

On the situation around Ukraine, both Putin and Trump have voiced largely similar assessments of the conduct of the Kyiv authorities led by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, which, provoked and backed by European powers, is pursuing a course aimed at dragging out the conflict, according to the Kremlin.

Putin stated directly to Trump that Kyiv is openly resorting to terrorist methods, carrying out strikes on purely civilian facilities on Russian territory, the aide said.

Russia has handed over more than 20,000 bodies of the deceased to Ukraine, Putin told Trump, adding that Ukraine has returned just over 500 bodies to Russia since the beginning of 2025.

"At Trump's request, Putin described the current situation along the contact line, where our troops maintain the strategic initiative and are pushing back enemy positions," said Ushakov.

The Russian president informed his US counterpart of Russia's readiness to declare a truce for the period of Victory Day commemorations. Trump voiced strong support for the initiative, noting that "the holiday marks our common victory over Nazism in World War II."

Putin reaffirmed that the goals of the special military operation will be achieved in any case, the aide said. "Naturally, Russia would prefer this to be achieved through negotiations, for which Zelensky must respond positively to the well-known proposals that have been repeatedly put forward, including by the US side."

Ushakov added that the US president emphasised the need to halt hostilities as soon as possible, as well as his readiness to contribute to this effort in every possible way. "His authorised representatives will maintain contacts with both Moscow and Kyiv," he said.

In the discussion of Russian-US relations, the two sides spoke of broad prospects for mutually beneficial projects in the economic and energy spheres.

The presidents agreed to continue to maintain contact both personally and at the level of their aides and representatives.

- IANS