Putin and Trump discuss Middle East and Ukraine
Agencies
Moscow
Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump have spoken on the phone for the third time in a month.
The main topic this time was the 'dangerous escalation of the situation in the Middle East,' the Russian state news agency TASS on Saturday.
Putin's adviser Yuri Viktorovich Ushakov told TASS that Putin had once again condemned the Israeli attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities and military targets.
At the same time, the Russian president offered to mediate in the conflict.
'The dangerous escalation of the situation in the Middle East was naturally at the center of the exchange of opinions,' Ushakov told journalists following the conversation between Putin and Trump.
'Vladimir Putin, having condemned the military operation against Iran, expressed serious concern about the possible escalation of the conflict,' he said, warning of 'unpredictable consequences for the entire situation in the Middle East.'
Putin also emphasized Russia's readiness to carry out possible mediation efforts, and noted that Russia had proposed steps 'aimed at finding mutually acceptable agreements' during US-Iran negotiations on the Iranian nuclear program.
'Russia's principled approach and interest in the settlement remain unchanged,' Ushakov said.
The recent prisoner exchanges between Ukraine and Russia were also discussed during the telephone conversation. Putin reaffirmed Russia's willingness to continue talks with the Ukrainian side after June.
Russia has been at war with Ukraine for over three years after launching a full-scale invasion.
According to Ushakov, Putin also congratulated Trump on his 79th birthday.
This was the fifth telephone conversation between the two presidents this year.
On Friday, Putin also spoke on the phone with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
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