In a sixth publicly disclosed chat since Trump returned to the White House, the Kremlin said U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed Iran, Ukraine and other issues during a “candal and constructive” call on Thursday.
His foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov said that when discussing the situation in Iran and the wider Middle East, he stressed the need to “resolve all differences through political and diplomatic means only”. He added that leaders agreed that Russian and U.S. officials would stay in touch on the issue.
The United States attacked three locations in Iran on June 22, inserting itself into Israel's war with a nuclear program aimed at destroying Tehran.
Regarding the conflict in Ukraine, Trump said that Trump stressed his efforts to quickly stop the fight, and Putin expressed Moscow's preparations for negotiations with Kiev, noting that Turkey's previous round produced a humanitarian outcome.
Usakov said at the same time, Russian leaders stressed that Moscow will seek to achieve its goals in Ukraine and eliminate the “roots” of the conflict.
“Russia will not retreat from these goals,” Usakov told reporters after the phone call.
Trump told reporters on the call with Putin that he was “I was not satisfied” with the situation in Ukraine, on the way to the event in Des Moines, Iowa. He also confirmed that the two discussed Iran.
Putin argued that he sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022 to resist Ukraine's urge to join NATO and protect the threat posed to Russia by a Russian spokesman for Ukraine – an argument rejected by Kiev and its allies. He insisted that any potential peace agreement must see Ukraine abandoning NATO bids and recognizing Russia's territorial gains.
Thursday's call was confirmed by the Pentagon that it suspended the delivery of some weapons to Ukraine while reviewing U.S. military stocks. Weapons held for Ukraine include air defense missiles, precisely guided artillery and other equipment.
Get the daily national news
Get news, politics, economics and current events titles delivered to your inbox every day.
A U.S. official and former national security official familiar with the matter confirmed details of some weapons that were suspended from deliveries. Both asked to discuss anonymously that the Pentagon has not provided details yet.
Ushakov said there were no discussions on Trump-Pudin's call to weapons that had been shipped to Ukraine.
“We provide weapons, but we give a lot of weapons,” Trump said on Thursday's suspension, his first public acknowledgement of the move.
“We are providing weapons, we are working with them to try to help them, but (former President Joe) Biden clears the entire country and gives them weapons, and we have to make sure we have enough things.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said after meeting with EU major supporters in Denmark that he may talk with Trump in the coming days about suspending the delivery of U.S. weapons.
“I hope maybe tomorrow or close, these days, I'll talk about that with President Trump.”
Asked about his expectations for the Trump-Puding call, he said: “I’m not sure they have a lot of common ideas, namely, common topics (about) because they are very different people.”
The previous public appeal between Trump and Putin was June 14, the day after Israeli attacked Iran.
The resumption of contact between Trump and Putin seems to reflect the interest of the two leaders in patching U.S.-Russia relations, which have hit a low point since the Cold War in Ukraine.
Ushakov said Trump told Putin his $4.5 trillion tax cuts and spending cut bill, and Russian leaders hope he successfully pursues the plan and congratulate the United States on the Independence Day holiday.
The Kremlin adviser noted that the leaders also discussed the development of Syria and expressed interest in pursuing bilateral projects in the energy sector and space exploration during what he called “candal, commercial and concrete dialogue.”
Ushakov added that Putin even suggested that the United States and Russia could exchange movies to promote “the traditional values we share with the Trump administration.”
Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron held their first direct call Tuesday in nearly three years.
Associated Press writers Aamer Madhani in Washington and Lorne Cook in Aarhus, Denmark, contributed. Other files from Global News.
& Copy 2025 Canadian Press
