KEY POINTS
- Putin told Trump that Russia will not abandon its aims in Ukraine
- The call lasted nearly an hour and covered Ukraine, Iran, and the Middle East conflicts
- Trump urged an early end to “military action” in Ukraine
MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin told US President Donald Trump in a phone call on Thursday that Moscow would not “give up” its objectives in Ukraine, while also pledging to continue the negotiating process to end the conflict, the Kremlin said.
In a wide-ranging conversation that also covered Iran and the Middle East, Trump “again raised the issue of an early end to military action” in Ukraine, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters.
“Our president said that Russia will achieve the aims it set, that is to say, the root causes that led to the current state of affairs,” Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters as quoted by AFP. “Russia will not give up on these aims.”
“He also spoke of the readiness of the Russian side to continue the negotiation process,” Ushakov added, saying the call lasted almost an hour.
Russia’s position on Ukraine conflict
Putin briefed Trump on the implementation of agreements reached between Russia and Ukraine last month to exchange prisoners-of-war and dead soldiers, Ushakov said.
There was nothing in the Kremlin readout to suggest that Putin had made any shift in Moscow’s position during the conversation with Trump, who took office with a promise to end the Ukraine war swiftly but has voiced frequent frustration with the lack of progress between the two sides.
The phrase “root causes” is shorthand for the Kremlin’s argument that it was compelled to go to war in Ukraine to prevent the country from joining NATO and being used by the Western alliance as a launch pad to attack Russia.
Trump, in previous public comments, has shown sympathy with Moscow’s refusal to accept NATO membership for Ukraine.
Putin and Trump did not talk about the US decision to halt some shipments of critical weapons to Ukraine, Ushakov said.
Iran-Israel conflict
Putin also urged Trump that the Iran-Israel and other conflicts in the Middle East region should be solved diplomatically.
“From the Russian side, the importance of settling all disputed issues, disagreements and conflictual situations be solved exclusively by politico-diplomatic means was stressed,” Ushakov said.
Trump last month sent US military bombers to strike three Iranian nuclear sites, in a move condemned by Moscow as unprovoked and illegal.
According to the Financial Times, Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky are also expected to discuss the recent halt in key US weapons deliveries to Kyiv.
Trump to speak with Zelensky
Zelensky is likely to raise the issue of future arms sales during the call, which may be rescheduled, the newspaper said, citing sources familiar with the planning.
The White House did not respond to a request for comment on the reported Zelensky call, Reuters reported.
The US has paused shipments of some weapons to Ukraine due to low stockpiles, Reuters previously reported, citing sources.
This prompted Ukraine to summon the acting US envoy in Kyiv on Wednesday to stress the importance of continued US military support.
Ukrainian officials warned that reduced assistance would weaken their ability to defend against increased Russian airstrikes and advances on the battlefield.
Reuters reported on Wednesday that the Pentagon’s decision has led to a cut in deliveries of Patriot air defence missiles, which Ukraine relies on to intercept fast-moving ballistic threats. – Agencies
