Putin Explains Progress in Ukraine Peace Talks
Trump: "The War in Ukraine Must Also End"
Israel-Iran Military Clashes Continue... Ongoing Damage
U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a phone call on the 14th (local time) to discuss issues including the military conflict between Israel and Iran, as well as peace negotiations regarding Ukraine.
Yuri Ushakov, an aide at the Kremlin, said during a briefing that the two leaders spoke for about 50 minutes, focusing on the situation in the Middle East. According to reports from TASS, AP, and Reuters, Ushakov described the conversation as "meaningful and productive."
According to the Kremlin, President Putin shared with President Trump the details of his recent conversations with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He also reiterated his previous proposal to seek mutually acceptable solutions regarding the Iranian nuclear issue.
Ushakov stated, "President Putin condemned Israel's military operations targeting Iran and expressed serious concern about the possibility of further escalation of the conflict." He also warned that such developments could lead to unpredictable consequences for the entire Middle East.
Additionally, President Putin emphasized that Russia is prepared to play a mediating role and presented specific measures to achieve substantial progress in nuclear negotiations between the United States and Iran, Ushakov added.
According to Ushakov, President Trump described the situation in the Middle East as "very concerning," but at the same time, he assessed Israel's targeted attacks inside Iran as "effective." The two leaders did not rule out the possibility of resuming negotiations regarding Iran's nuclear program.
Furthermore, President Putin briefed President Trump on the implementation status of agreements reached during the high-level Russia-Ukraine peace talks held in Istanbul, T?rkiye, on the 2nd of this month.
Ushakov reported that "President Putin mentioned that the exchange of prisoners of war, including those seriously wounded and prisoners under the age of 25, is underway, and emphasized that Russia is ready to continue negotiations with Ukraine."
He also conveyed that President Trump expressed his hope for a swift end to the war in Ukraine. In addition, Ushakov noted that President Putin congratulated President Trump on his birthday, which was on this day.
President Trump posted on the social media platform Truth Social that he had a nearly one-hour phone call with President Putin. Trump wrote, "President Putin very kindly called me this morning to wish me a happy birthday, but more importantly, to talk about Iran, which he knows very well."
He continued, "We had a lengthy conversation. We spent much less time discussing Russia and Ukraine than Iran, but that conversation will take place next week." He added, "President Putin is proceeding with the planned prisoner exchange. A large number of prisoners are being exchanged immediately on both sides (Russia and Ukraine)." Trump also said, "Like me, he believes that the war between Israel and Iran must end, and I explained to him that his war must also come to an end."
Meanwhile, military clashes between Iran and Israel continue to cause casualties and damage to facilities in both countries. According to the Times of Israel, from the night before until the early hours of the day, Iran launched large-scale ballistic missile attacks against Israel on four occasions, resulting in three deaths and about 80 injuries. Iran's semi-official Fars News Agency reported that at around 6:30 p.m. local time, a major fire broke out at the refining facility of Block 14 of the South Pars gas field in the southern Gulf region of Iran, believed to have been caused by an Israeli drone strike, and that firefighting efforts were underway.
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