Putin speaks to Trump, condemns Israel's strikes on Iran, Kremlin says, World News
MOSCOW -Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke to US President Donald Trump for 50 minutes on Saturday (June 14), focusing on hostilities between Israel and Iran and calling for efforts to bring them to an end.
Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said Putin condemned the Israeli military operation against Iran and expressed concern about the risks of escalation.
Trump, in his account on Truth Social, said most of the discussion centred on the Middle East, but that he also told Putin that Russia's war in Ukraine should end.
"Vladimir Putin condemned Israel's military operation against Iran and expressed serious concern about a possible escalation of the conflict, which would have unpredictable consequences for the entire situation in the Middle East," Ushakov told reporters.
Ushakov said Trump described events in the Middle East as "very alarming". But the two leaders said they do not rule out a return to the negotiating track on Iran's nuclear programme, Ushakov said.
Ushakov said US negotiators were ready to hold further talks with Iranian representatives, with Oman as mediator. The latest round, scheduled for Sunday in Oman, has been cancelled.
The Kremlin aide said Putin told Trump that Russia stood by proposals to ease tension and resolve issues concerning Iran's nuclear programme.
"The Russian president recalled that prior to the current rise in tension our side had proposed concrete steps intended to find mutually acceptable agreements during talks between US and Iranian representatives about the Iranian nuclear programme," Ushakov said.
"Russia's principled approach and interest in a resolution is unchanged and, as Vladimir Putin noted, we will continue to act based on this."
[[nid:714277]]
Trump's account of the conversation included what amounted to his first explicit appeal for the hostilities to end.
"The call lasted approximately one hour," Trump wrote. "He feels, as do I, this war in Israel-Iran should end, to which I explained, his war should also end."
Trump said he and Putin mostly discussed the Middle East and spent "much less time" talking about the war in Ukraine. Trump hinted at follow-up discussions on the war in Ukraine in the coming week.
On Ukraine, Ushakov said Putin told the US leader that Russia was ready to continue negotiations with the Ukrainians after June 22, according to state news agency RIA.
Ushakov also said that the presidents expressed satisfaction "at their personal relations which have allowed for them to speak in a business-like manner to seek solutions to issues that are bilateral or on the international agenda, however complex those issues might be".
Putin also congratulated Trump on his 79th birthday.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
Netanyahu says regime change in Iran could be result of Israel's attacks
FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu waves following a meeting in the White House, in Washington, U.S., April 7, 2025. REUTERS/Kevin Mohatt//File Photo Netanyahu says regime change in Iran could be result of Israel's attacks WASHINGTON - Regime change in Iran could be a result of Israel's military attacks on the country, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Fox News on Sunday, saying Israel would do whatever is necessary to remove the "existential threat" posed by Tehran. Israel launched "Operation Rising Lion" with a surprise attack on Friday morning that wiped out the top echelon of Iran's military command and damaged its nuclear sites, and says the campaign will continue to escalate in coming days. Iran has vowed to "open the gates of hell" in retaliation. Israel's military has said the current goal of the campaign is not a change in regime, but the dismantling of Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile programs. Asked by Fox's Bret Baier on his "Special Report" program if regime change was part of Israel's military effort, Netanyahu said: "Could certainly be the result because the Iran regime is very weak." "We're geared to do whatever is necessary to achieve our dual aim, to remove ... two existential threats - the nuclear threat and the ballistic missile threat," Netanyahu said in one of his first interviews since Israel's attacks began. "We did act - to save ourselves, but also, I think, to not only protect ourselves, but protect the world from this incendiary regime. We can't have the world's most dangerous regime have the world's most dangerous weapons," he said. Israel has said its operation could last weeks, and Netanyahu has openly urged the Iranian people to rise up against their Islamic clerical rulers. Israel and Iran launched fresh attacks on each other overnight into Sunday, killing scores and raising fears of a wider conflict, as U.S. President Donald Trump said it could be ended easily while warning Tehran not to strike any U.S. targets. Asked about a Reuters report that Trump vetoed an Israeli plan to kill Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Netanyahu said: "I'm not going to get into that." But he said he had informed Trump ahead of Friday's military action. American pilots are shooting down Iranian drones headed toward Israel, he said. With worries growing of a regional conflagration, Trump has lauded Israel's offensive while denying Iranian allegations that the U.S. has taken part in it. He warned Tehran not to widen its retaliation to include U.S. targets or else face the "full strength and might" of the U.S. armed forces. Trump has repeatedly said Iran could end the war by agreeing to tough restrictions on its nuclear program, which Iran says is for peaceful purposes but Western countries say could be used to make a bomb. The latest round of nuclear negotiations between Iran and the United States, due to be held on Sunday, was scrapped after Tehran said it would not negotiate while under Israeli attack. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
3 hours ago
- Straits Times
Trump vetoed Israeli plan to kill Iran's supreme leader, US officials say
FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks as he attends a military parade to commemorate the U.S. Army's 250th Birthday, on the day of his 79th birthday, in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 14, 2025. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo FILE PHOTO: Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei looks on, in a televised message following the Israeli strikes in Tehran, Iran, June 13, 2025. Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump vetoed an Israeli plan in recent days to kill Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, two U.S. officials told Reuters on Sunday. "Have the Iranians killed an American yet? No. Until they do we're not even talking about going after the political leadership," said one of the sources, a senior U.S. administration official. The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said top U.S. officials have been in constant communications with Israeli officials in the days since Israel launched a massive attack on Iran in a bid to halt its nuclear program. They said the Israelis reported that they had an opportunity to kill the top Iranian leader, but Trump waved them off of the plan. The officials would not say whether Trump himself delivered the message. But Trump has been in frequent communications with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. When asked about Reuters report, Netanyahu, in an interview on Sunday with Fox News Channel's "Special Report With Bret Baier," said: "There's so many false reports of conversations that never happened, and I'm not going to get into that." "But I can tell you, I think that we do what we need to do, we'll do what we need to do. And I think the United States knows what is good for the United States," Netanyahu said. Trump has been holding out hope for a resumption of U.S.-Iranian negotiations over Tehran's nuclear program. Talks that had been scheduled for Sunday in Oman were canceled as a result of the strikes. Trump told Reuters on Friday that "we knew everything" about the Israeli strikes. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
3 hours ago
- Straits Times
Trump tells ABC ‘it's possible' US gets involved in Iran-Israel conflict
US President Donald Trump speaks to reporters after walking off Air Force One on June 10, at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. PHOTO: AFP Trump tells ABC 'it's possible' US gets involved in Iran-Israel conflict WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump told a news network June 15 the United States could become involved in the Iran-Israel conflict, and that he would be 'open' to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin being a mediator. The Republican president, according to ABC News, also said talks over Iran's nuclear programme were continuing and that Tehran would 'like to make a deal,' perhaps more quickly now that the Islamic republic is trading massive strikes with Israel. 'It's possible we could get involved' in the ongoing battle between the Middle East arch-foes, Mr Trump said in an off-camera interview with ABC News senior political correspondent Rachel Scott that was not previously publicised. He stressed that the United States is 'not at this moment' involved in the military action. As for Mr Putin being a potential mediator in the conflict: 'He is ready. He called me about it. We had a long talk about it,' Mr Trump said. Israel and Iran traded heavy aerial assaults for a third straight day June 15, with casualties mounting following Israel's large-scale attacks aimed at crippling Iran's nuclear and military infrastructure, sparking retaliation. Oman, which has acted as a mediator on the nuclear issue, has said a sixth round of talks between Iran and the United States planned for this weekend had been cancelled. But Mr Trump said the two sides were continuing discussions. 'No, there's no deadline' on negotiations, he told ABC when asked whether there was a time limit for Tehran to come to the table. 'But they are talking. They'd like to make a deal. They're talking. They continue to talk,' Mr Trump said, according to Ms Scott. Mr Trump suggested that something like the clash between Israel and Iran 'had' to happen to spur talks on a nuclear agreement. It 'may have forced a deal to go quicker, actually,' Mr Trump said. AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
