Washington (AFP) – US President Donald Trump said he spoke to Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin Wednesday about Ukraine and Iran, warning that the Kremlin leader had “very strongly” pledged to respond to Kyiv’s stunning drone attack on Russian bombers. Trump stated that there was no “immediate peace” on the horizon in Ukraine — which Russia invaded in 2022 — following what he described as a one hour and 15 minute call with the Russian president.
On Iran, Trump mentioned that Putin had offered to “participate” in talks on Tehran’s nuclear program, as he accused the Islamic Republic of “slowwalking” its response to Washington’s offer of a deal. The call came three days after Ukraine conducted a massive, daring drone attack against Russian military airbases, claiming to have destroyed several Russian nuclear-capable bombers worth billions of dollars.
Trump affirmed that he and Putin had “discussed the attack on Russia’s docked airplanes, by Ukraine and also various other attacks that have been taking place by both sides.” He remarked, “It was a good conversation, but not a conversation that will lead to immediate peace. President Putin did say, and very strongly, that he will have to respond to the recent attack on the airfields,” Trump stated in his post.
Trump did not indicate whether he had warned Putin against any such retaliation against Ukraine, which Washington has supported to the tune of billions of dollars in its fight against Russia.
The Republican has repeatedly alarmed Kyiv and Western allies by seeming to side with Putin over the war, and he had a blazing Oval Office row with visiting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. However, Trump has also shown growing frustration with Putin, as Russia has so far derailed the US president’s efforts to honor a campaign pledge to end the war within 24 hours — even if he never explained how this could be achieved.
The call between Trump and Putin did, however, demonstrate that Washington and Moscow may be eyeing cooperation on another key global issue — Iran. Trump expressed his belief that they were both “in agreement” that Iran could not have a nuclear weapon and that time was running out for Tehran to respond to US offers of a deal.
“President Putin suggested that he will participate in the discussions with Iran and that he could, perhaps, be helpful in getting this brought to a rapid conclusion,” Trump stated. He added, “It is my opinion that Iran has been slowwalking their decision on this very important matter, and we will need a definitive answer in a very short period of time!”
Putin told his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian that Moscow was ready to help advance talks on a nuclear deal, the Kremlin said on Tuesday. But Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei remarked earlier Wednesday that Washington’s proposal was against Tehran’s national interest, amid sharp differences over whether Tehran can continue to enrich uranium.
© 2024 AFP
