Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the Ukraine conflict and its
potential resolution in a phone conversation with his US counterpart,
Donald Trump, on Thursday, the Kremlin has confirmed.
During the call,
their sixth this year, the two leaders focused on the implementation of
agreements reached by Moscow and Kiev during direct talks in Istanbul
over the past months.
Trump humiliated as Putin issues huge warning over Ukraine
Vladimir Putin told Donald Trump that Russia was not prepared to "step back from its goals," in Ukraine.
US President Donald Trump and
Russian President Vladimir Putin held a one-hour phone call on Thursday
as the Russian leader laid down the law on how the war in Ukraine will progress.
- In return, Trump appeared to distance the US from any future role in peace negotiations, with Russia taking the position “that Ukraine peace talks are between Moscow and Kyiv”.
- The call comes after a top US defense official halted arms shipments to Ukraine that had been used to fend off Russian attacks.
Vladimir Putin has taken a thinly-veiled swipe at the USA as the nation gears up to celebrate its Independence Day on July 4.
The Russian President couldn't resist pointing out that he considers Russia
to have played a key role in helping the much younger country achieve
statehood during a call with his American counterpart on Thursday.
Putin
said: "Russia
played an important role in the formation of American statehood,
including through the War of Independence 250 years ago, and then during
the Civil War, which ended 160 years ago."
Putin's sly dig at Trump as he mocks US Independence Day
The thinly-veiled insult was made during the latest call between the two world leaders which the Kremlin nevertheless claimed was "frank and businesslike".
Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov added:
"Of course, he congratulated Trump
on the national holiday of the United States, celebrated tomorrow ...
It was stated that our countries are linked not only by the alliance in
the First and Second World Wars, but also by deepr historical roots."
- Russia described the conversation between the two leaders, the sixth publicly acknowledged call since Trump returned to the White House, as "frank, businesslike and concrete" and said they had agreed to keep communication lines open.
Among the wide range of topics covered in the hour-long conversation were
- ongoing negotiations to end the war in Ukraine,
- recent airstrikes between Iran and Israel and Syria, according to Ushakov.
- Reports suggest they did not discuss a recent US pause on shipment of weapons including air defense missiles and precision-guided artillery to Ukraine, amid a global Pentagon review of US military stockpiles.
On the topic of Iran, the Kremlin spokesperson said Putin "emphasied the importance of resolving all disputes, disagreements and conflict situations exclusively by political and diplomatic means".
The last known phone call between Trump and Putin was on June 14, the day after Israel attacked Iran.
Putin also spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday, marking the first direct communication between the two leaders in almost three years
