WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a 50-minute phone call Saturday to discuss the escalation in the Middle East, Ukraine peace talks, and the U.S. president’s 79th birthday, the White House and Kremlin confirmed.
“President Putin called this morning to very nicely wish me a Happy Birthday, but to more importantly, talk about Iran, a country he knows very well,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“Much less time was spent talking about Russia/Ukraine, but that will be for next week.”
“He feels, as do I, this war in Israel-Iran should end, to which I explained, his war should also end,” Trump added.
During the conversation, Trump told Putin the team of American negotiators is ready to resume talks with Iranian representatives about Tehran’s nuclear program, according to a readout of the call provided by the Kremlin. Putin, for his part, offered to act as a mediator between Israel and Iran to end the conflict.
The latest round of nuclear talks between the U.S. and Iran, scheduled for Sunday in Muscat, will no longer take place due to Israel and Iran exchanging deadly barrages in recent days, Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi said in a statement.
The White House remains optimistic a resolution is still possible.
“Whatever happens today cannot be prevented. But we have the ability to negotiate a successful, peaceful resolution to this conflict if Iran is willing,” a senior White House official told NewsNation. “The fastest way for Iran to accomplish peace is to give up its nuclear weapons program.”