Trump says Putin vows response to Ukraine drone strikes, as Kremlin rules out full ceasefire
MOSCOW: US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday (Jun 4) he held a 75-minute phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and regional tensions with Iran. Trump said the Kremlin leader had 'very strongly' indicated he would respond to Ukraine's recent drone attacks on Russian military airfields.
'It was a good conversation, but not one that will lead to immediate peace,' Trump wrote on Truth Social, adding that both Russia and Ukraine had suffered recent attacks. He reiterated his desire to end the war but offered no new proposals.
The call came days after Ukraine launched a massive drone operation that Kyiv claimed destroyed several Russian nuclear-capable bombers. Trump said the two leaders discussed the strike on docked planes 'and various other attacks that have been taking place by both sides.'
Trump also said Putin had expressed willingness to 'participate' in talks on Iran's nuclear program, amid growing international concern over Tehran's stalled response to US diplomatic outreach
Earlier in the day, President Putin dismissed the possibility dismissed the possibility of a full ceasefire in Ukraine, asserting that Kyiv would exploit any pause in hostilities to rearm and mobilize.
"Why reward them by giving them a break from the combat, which will be used to pump the regime with Western arms, to continue their forced mobilisation and to prepare different terrorist acts?" Putin said during a televised government meeting.
At recent peace talks in Istanbul, Ukraine proposed an unconditional 30-day truce. In response, Russia presented demands including Ukraine's full withdrawal from four regions—Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson—that Moscow claims to have annexed.
Putin also accused Ukraine of orchestrating "terrorist" attacks on bridges in Russia's border regions over the weekend, including one that caused a train derailment, killing seven people. Ukraine has not claimed responsibility for the incident.
Russia proposed a short, two to three-day ceasefire to allow both sides to retrieve the bodies of fallen soldiers. However, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated that Kyiv rejected this proposal.
"I believe this is simply a gross mistake on the part of the regime in Kyiv," Lavrov said.
Despite the stalemate, Russia's top negotiator, Vladimir Medinsky, confirmed that Moscow is prepared to proceed with a large-scale prisoner exchange agreed upon in Istanbul, scheduled for June 7 to 9. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy indicated that the first phase would commence this weekend.
Zelenskyy has dismissed Russia's ceasefire proposal as an ultimatum and reiterated his call for direct talks with Putin, emphasizing the need for a ceasefire ahead of any potential summit involving US President Donald Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
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