Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump spoke over the phone on Saturday, discussing the attacks between Iran and Israel and the Ukraine conflict, according to the Kremlin. The call lasted approximately one hour.
The Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov called the conversation “meaningful, frank, and most importantly, very useful.” Putin condemned Israel’s strikes on Friday, particularly noting that they occurred just before nuclear negotiations between Iran and the US scheduled for June 15, he said.
“Despite such a complicated situation, the Russian and American presidents didn’t rule out a return to the negotiating track on the Iranian nuclear program,” Putin’s aide added.
On Friday, Iran confirmed that Israeli attacks killed Major General Hossein Salami, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and Major General Mohammad Bagheri, chief of staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, along with several nuclear scientists. In retaliation, Tehran fired dozens of ballistic missiles into Israel, some of which reportedly breached its air defenses.
Putin and Trump also discussed the latest prisoner swaps between Moscow and Kiev. The Russian president also confirmed readiness to continue negotiations with Ukraine “after June 22.”
During the latest round of direct talks in Istanbul on June 2, the two sides agreed to carry out a series of exchanges, focusing primarily on seriously injured, ill, and younger captives. Russia also unilaterally decided to repatriate the bodies of more than 6,000 fallen Ukrainian troops on humanitarian grounds.
Ushakov also stated that Putin extended birthday wishes to Trump, who turned 79 on Saturday. “Both presidents expressed their satisfaction with the personal relationships that allow [them] to communicate in a businesslike manner, [and] to seek solutions to pressing issues on the bilateral and international agenda, no matter how complex these issues may be,” Putin’s aide concluded.
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