U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a phone call on the 14th (local time) to discuss the issue of military conflict between Israel and Iran. The two agreed on the need to end the war in the Middle East.
According to TASS and Reuters, Yuri Ushakov, a senior aide to the Kremlin, stated during a briefing that the two leaders had a phone call lasting about 50 minutes centered on the situation in the Middle East, noting that "meaningful and productive dialogue took place." This call occurred ten days after the 4th.
Ushakov said, "President Putin condemned Israel's military operations targeting Iran and expressed serious concerns about the possibility of further escalation of the conflict," adding that "it could lead to unpredictable outcomes for the overall situation in the Middle East."
According to the Kremlin, President Putin shared the content of his previous day's calls with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with President Trump. He also emphasized that Russia is prepared to play a mediating role and presented specific plans for substantial progress in nuclear negotiations between the U.S. and Iran.
President Trump also disclosed the fact that he spoke with Putin through his social media platform, Truth Social. This day marks Trump's 79th birthday, and he mentioned that "Putin very kindly called this morning to wish me a happy birthday," adding, "More importantly, he called to discuss Iran, which he knows very well."
Trump said, "We had a long conversation," noting that "he, like me, believes that this war between Israel and Iran must end, and I explained to him that his war must end as well." His "war" refers to the war in Ukraine, which has been stalled for months despite his efforts.
He noted, "I spent much less time discussing (the issues with) Russia and Ukraine than (with) Iran, and that conversation will happen next week," adding, "Putin is carrying out the planned prisoner exchange, and a significant number of prisoners are being exchanged immediately on both sides."