Russian President Vladimir Putin called for a swift political and diplomatic settlement to the conflict with Iran during a phone call on Monday with U.S. President Donald Trump, according to Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov.
Speaking at a press conference in Moscow, Ushakov said the call was initiated by the American side and lasted about an hour. He added that Putin presented proposals to Trump aimed at reaching a quick resolution to the war with Iran, though he did not disclose specific details of the proposals.
Ushakov noted that the two leaders also discussed the course of ongoing bilateral negotiations regarding the Ukrainian crisis, with participation from U.S. representatives, as well as developments in Venezuela and prospects for the global oil market.
According to Ushakov, Putin expressed a positive assessment of the mediation efforts led by Trump to achieve a political settlement to the war in Ukraine, despite the fact that successive rounds of negotiations have not yet succeeded in stopping military operations on the ground.
For his part, Trump described the phone call with Putin as “positive.” Speaking at a press conference in Florida on Monday, he said the two leaders discussed the war in Ukraine, which has continued for four years. “We talked about Ukraine, where the fighting does not seem to end,” Trump said, adding, “But I believe the conversation was positive regarding this issue.”
The call comes amid reports that the United States is considering easing sanctions on Russian oil in order to help curb the sharp rise in global energy prices caused by the war with Iran and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump said during a press conference on Monday that Washington may move toward easing sanctions on Russian oil. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also stated last Friday that the United States could relax additional sanctions related to Ukraine on Russian oil to help increase global supplies.
In a related development, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi said that Iran requires an end to further attacks in order to agree to a ceasefire. He noted that several countries, including China, Russia, and France, have contacted Iran regarding efforts to reach a ceasefire.
These developments come amid escalating tensions since February 28, when Israel and the United States launched attacks on Iran. The strikes resulted in the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, along with commanders from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and other security officials, in addition to the destruction of military bases and missile launch platforms.
In response, Iran launched attacks targeting what it described as U.S. bases and interests in Gulf countries, Iraq, and Jordan. However, some of these attacks caused casualties and damage to civilian sites, which the affected countries condemned while calling for an end to the hostilities.
