Kremlin aide reveals details of Putin-Trump call
Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the Ukraine conflict and its potential resolution in a phone conversation with his US counterpart, Donald Trump, on Thursday, the Kremlin has confirmed. During the call, their sixth this year, the two leaders focused on the implementation of agreements reached by Moscow and Kiev during direct talks in Istanbul over the past months.
Putin reiterated that Moscow will continue to seek a diplomatic solution to the ongoing conflict but will not leave the root causes unaddressed, according to presidential aide Yury Ushakov. Trump called on the Russian president to cease hostilities as soon as possible.
The two presidents did not discuss a potential meeting, Ushakov said, but instead covered a broad range of topics, including the recent escalation between Israel and Iran, developments in Syria, and the situation in the Middle East, according to the aide.
The call also came shortly after Putin’s first direct conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron in nearly three years.
Since Trump returned to the White House in January, he and Putin have held at least five phone calls. The discussions have focused on efforts to negotiate an end to the Ukraine conflict, arms control, and restoring bilateral ties, which sank to an all-time low during the administration of Joe Biden. The latest call took place on June 14 and revolved around Israel’s strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, as well as retaliation from Tehran.
Some “promising” joint projects in the fields of energy and space exploration were on the agenda as well. The Russian president also wished his US counterpart a happy Independence Day, adding that Russia played a major role in the birth of US statehood.
During the American Revolution, Russian Empress Catherine II rejected the UK’s diplomatic overtures and refused to send the Russian Army to North America to aid the British Empire in its fight against the thirteen colonies.
The two leaders talked for almost an hour, Moscow said, calling the conversation “business-like.” They also agreed to continue the dialogue. According to Ushakov, phone calls between Putin and Trump can be arranged within a day.
