WASHINGTON—President Trump said Wednesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin told him he would have to respond to Ukraine’s recent attack , dampening the prospects for immediate peace between Moscow and Kyiv.
“President Putin did say, and very strongly, that he will have to respond to the recent attack on the airfields,” Trump posted on Truth Social, saying the two leaders spoke on a call that lasted about one hour and 15 minutes. The two also discussed Iran, with Trump saying the two leaders were in agreement that Iran can’t have a nuclear weapon.
Trump didn’t say in his social-media post whether he urged Putin not to launch a retaliatory attack on Ukraine. Trump has repeatedly called for peace and lamented the loss of lives on both sides, though in recent weeks he has expressed frustration with Russia’s continued attacks against Ukraine. Last week, when Trump was asked if he thought Putin wanted peace in the region, Trump told reporters he didn’t know.
Trump is set to meet with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Washington on Thursday, and it is likely that Russia and Ukraine will be a topic of discussion. Germany announced last month that it will expand its support to Kyiv , including a partnership to develop long-range missiles.
Over the weekend, Ukraine launched clandestine drone attacks on four military airfields inside Russia, delivering the biggest blow of the war against Moscow’s long-range bomber fleet. Much of the damaged equipment is irreplaceable or hard to rebuild.
Trump said the call with Putin was “a good conversation, but not a conversation that will lead to immediate peace.” The drone strikes cast a cloud over ongoing talks between Russia and Ukraine. The two nations sent low-level delegations to meet in Istanbul on Monday to meet for just over an hour.
Trump said that he and Putin also discussed blocking Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, and that the Russian leader said he would be willing to get involved in the ongoing conversations. Trump accused Iran of slow-walking progress toward a deal.
“President Putin suggested that he will participate in the discussions with Iran and that he could, perhaps, be helpful in getting this brought to a rapid conclusion,” Trump said. Iran and the U.S. have held five rounds of nuclear talks so far, but the two sides have clashed over Washington’s insistence that Tehran give up uranium enrichment completely.
Western officials believe Iran wants to retain the option of producing a nuclear weapon . Iran says its nuclear work is peaceful and that trying to block it breaches Tehran’s principles of independence.
