Russian President Vladimir Putin told his US counterpart, Donald Trump, that Moscow’s offer to transfer enriched Iranian uranium to Russia remained on the table. Moscow says the proposal could support the diplomatic track concerning Iran’s nuclear programme and enable an agreement with Tehran to be reached through negotiations.
Putin-Trump call discusses Iranian issue
Putin made the remarks during a telephone call with Trump lasting about an hour and a half, which Yuri Ushakov, an aide to the Russian president, described as “substantive and very friendly”. Moscow had previously offered to transfer Iran’s highly enriched uranium to Russia as part of diplomatic efforts aimed at containing the conflict that has continued in the Middle East for more than seven months.
Ushakov told reporters that Putin specifically stressed that “the diplomatic options concerning the Iranian issue have by no means been exhausted”, adding that an agreement with Iran could, and should, be reached through negotiations. The call also covered the war in Ukraine, with Putin telling the US president that Russia’s position on the aims and objectives of its military operation had not changed.
Moscow-Washington talks on resumption discussed
At the same time, he said Moscow remained ready to reach a political and diplomatic settlement leading to what he described as lasting and sustainable peace. Ushakov said the two presidents had discussed during their previous call the possibility of resuming trilateral talks involving the United States and Ukraine, as well as the prospect of negotiations returning immediately after elections to the Russian State Duma.
But he said circumstances had changed since then. The Russian presidential aide quoted Putin as saying Kyiv’s attempts to obstruct Russia’s parliamentary elections had effectively undermined the possibility of an immediate resumption of negotiations, adding that Moscow would now consider when those talks could return. These allegations reflect the Russian account as presented by Ushakov.
Putin also gave Trump a detailed explanation of Russia’s response to Ukrainian attacks. Ushakov said the Russian president had spoken about measures Moscow was taking in response to what he called “terrorist attacks carried out by the Kyiv regime”, accusing the Ukrainian authorities of choosing escalation and using every available means to prolong the conflict.
According to Ushakov, Putin told his US counterpart that Russian forces “have complete control of the initiative along the line of contact and are advancing confidently” — an assessment from the Russian side of the course of military operations. On bilateral relations, Ushakov said Trump began the call by warmly congratulating Putin on his birthday, wishing him success and good health, and conveying greetings from his wife, Melania.
The two presidents expressed satisfaction with the functioning of communication channels between the two countries through the presidential administrations, intelligence services and other relevant bodies. Putin and Trump plan to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum summit in China, which could provide an opportunity for a direct meeting between them on the sidelines of the summit.
