Putin and Trump hold phone call – Kremlin aide

The presidents discussed the conflicts between the US and Iran and between Russia and Ukraine, Yury Ushakov has said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has held a phone conversation with his US counterpart, Donald Trump, Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov has told journalists. The American president initiated the call to discuss the latest international developments, he said.

The conversation focused on the Iran conflict and the trilateral talks between Moscow, Washington and Kiev aimed at settling the Ukraine conflict, according to the aide. The dialogue between the two presidents was “business-like, open and constructive,” Ushakov said, adding that both leaders expressed their readiness to continue regular contacts.

Putin and Trump talked for about an hour, he stated.

The US president reaffirmed Washington’s interest in seeing the hostilities between Moscow and Kiev end and reaching a long-term settlement of the Ukraine conflict. Putin thanked Trump for his administration’s continued mediation efforts, according to Ushakov.

Putin also shared his thoughts on the ongoing conflict in Iran and told Trump about his conversations with the leaders of the Gulf nations and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian he had last week. Trump, in turn, expressed his opinion about the situation, Ushakov said, adding that they had a very “substantive” discussion on the issue.

Trump has described his conversation with Putin as “a very good call,” telling a press conference later on Monday that the leaders discussed both the Iran war and the “never-ending fight” in Ukraine.

The last time the two presidents held a phone call was in December. The White House described it as “positive” at the time.

Earlier on Monday, Putin warned that continued conflict in the Middle East risks seriously disrupting global oil and gas flows, particularly given the de-facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a key seaborne route.

The conflict could lead to a halt in Gulf oil production and a “new… price reality,” he told a government meeting. Moscow remains a “reliable energy supplier,” the president said, adding that it will continue to provide oil and gas to the nations it sees as reliable partners.

Moscow has condemned the US and Israeli bombing campaign against Iran as a “premeditated and unprovoked act of aggression.” Putin himself did not provide any public assessments of the operation as a whole but described the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as a “cynical violation” of morality and international law.