US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by phone on Wednesday for more than 90 minutes, discussing the war in Iran and floating the possibility of a temporary ceasefire in Ukraine. Trump described the conversation as “very good”, saying he had known Putin for a long time.
According to Yuri Ushakov, Putin’s foreign policy adviser, the Russian leader said Moscow regarded the prospect of a US ground operation in Iran as dangerous, while welcoming Trump’s decision to extend a ceasefire in the region. Russia has been largely sidelined in diplomacy over the Iran conflict, an ally of the Kremlin, but western intelligence agencies say Moscow has continued to provide support, including intelligence and drones used in strikes on US targets.
Trump said Putin had offered to take Iran’s buried uranium to Russia, but that he preferred the Russian president to be “involved with ending the war in Ukraine”. Trump reiterated his belief that a deal to end the conflict was close, despite repeated US statements to that effect and the two sides remaining far from a lasting settlement. Putin has signalled he is prepared to continue fighting until Ukraine cedes territory Russia currently controls in the Donbas, among other demands, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has consistently rejected such concessions.
During the call, Putin told Trump that Russian forces retained the initiative and were pushing back Ukrainian positions. However, military analysts and open-source information on battlefield advances indicate neither side appears close to a breakthrough. Russia’s advances have slowed in recent months, with both armies showing signs of exhaustion and sustaining heavy casualties, while continuing to target each other’s energy infrastructure. Trump has previously echoed Putin’s claim that Russia is winning, though he has also alternated between blaming Moscow and Kyiv; in recent remarks he has again placed greater responsibility on Ukraine.
The possible temporary ceasefire comes as Ukrainian long-range drones continue to strike Russian territory almost daily, largely targeting industrial and military sites, including oil infrastructure and logistics hubs, at times triggering large fires and civilian evacuations. Earlier on Wednesday, the Kremlin said it would scale back this year’s Victory Day parade because of the threat, with no military hardware on display for the first time in nearly two decades. Ukraine has remained sceptical of short-term ceasefire proposals, accusing Russia of using such pauses to regroup. Ushakov said Putin had expressed readiness to announce a temporary ceasefire proposed by Trump to coincide with Victory Day celebrations.
At one point, Trump told reporters that Ukraine’s military had been defeated, saying the country had lost all their ships and planes. It appeared he was confusing Ukraine with Iran, as he has previously used similar language when claiming success for the US operation against Iran.
