Vladimir Putin said he must respond to Ukraine’s major drone attacks on Russian airspace, US President Donald Trump warned.
After a call with the Russian president, Trump said:
Russian officials refused to confirm this Wednesday night, but Moscow had previously said that the military option was “on the table” for its response.
In a social media post, Trump warned that calls that lasting more than an hour would not “lead to immediate peace” between Russia and Ukraine.
Russia’s Ria Novosti, a state-owned news agency, told Trump that Putin told Trump that Ukraine had “tryed to disrupt” the negotiations and that Kiev’s government “essentially became a terrorist organization.”
The two also said, “We exchanged opinions on the outlook for restoring cooperation between the nations.
The conversation between the two leaders shows the first conversation since Ukraine launched a surprising attack using smuggling drones and targeted the Russian air base on June 1, saying it was a long-range bomber with nuclear capabilities.
Trump called on Putin that the US had not been warned prior to the attack, Russian presidential aide Ely Ushakov said.
Last week, Trump appears to have set a two-week deadline for Putin, threatening to change how the US is responding to Russia if he believed Putin was still “tapping” him in his peace efforts in Ukraine.
The comment was one of a series of key comments by Trump, saying Putin was “absolutely crazy” and “playing on fire” after Putin killed dozens of civilians after escalating a Ukrainian drone and missile attack on May 26.
Trump made no mention of the deadline in Wednesday’s post about his true social platform or his previous remarks.
In a post on X, Ukrainian President Voldy Mil Zelensky spoke about the scale of the Russian attack since the full-scale invasion of Moscow in 2022.
“Many people have spoken to Russia on many levels, but none of these consultations have brought about a reliable peace.
“If the world reacts weakly to Putin’s threat, he interprets it as being ready to turn his eyes on his actions,” he added.
On Wednesday, a delegation of Ukrainian officials, including Deputy Prime Minister Julia Swillidenko and President’s Office Director Andry Yermack, will meet with US Senators in Washington to discuss the purchase of weapons and efforts to stop the fight.
In a social media post, Yermak said the delegation is planning to discuss “defense support and the situation on the battlefield,” sanctions against Russia, and previously signed reconstruction investment funds.
The post also comes days after the direct peace negotiations in Istanbul, while the second round of direct peace negotiations in Istanbul agreed to exchange more prisoners, but ended without a major breakthrough.
Ukrainian negotiators said Russia had refused to make a “unconditional ceasefire.” This is an important demand for Western allies, including Kiev and the United States.
The Russian team said they proposed a multi-day ceasefire in “specific regions” on the frontline of Ukraine, but they gave no further details.
Trump previously and repeatedly said he believes that despite the ongoing battles in frontline and air attacks in both Russia and Ukraine, both sides are making progress.
Separately on Wednesday, Putin also called with US-born Pope Leo XIV.
The Vatican confirmed that “special attention” was paid to peace in the Ukrainian war.
View: The footage shows the homing of the attacking drone on the target while sitting in the tarmac.
Putin’s call with Trump also discussed Iran. Trump said he believes the two are “consensus” and “Iran cannot have nuclear weapons.”
The US reportedly proposed that Iran cease all production of enriched uranium. This can be used not only for reactor fuel but also for nuclear weapons, but instead relies on local consortiums for supplies.
Iran has yet to respond to the plans presented in consultations last Saturday.
According to Trump, Putin “suggested that he would take part in the discussion with Iran and perhaps this could help him lead to a quick conclusion.”
“It is my opinion that Iran has been slowly walking their decisions on this very important issue,” Trump wrote. “We need a definitive answer in a very short period of time.”
Iran’s top leader Ayatollah Ali Kahanei criticized the US proposal and said it would not stop enriching uranium.
