President Donald Trump said Russian President Vladimir Putin warned he “will have to respond” to Ukraine’s surprise drone strike on multiple Russian air bases, during a 75-minute phone call the two leaders held this week.
In a series of posts on his Truth Social platform, Trump said the conversation focused on the June 1 drone attack that destroyed more than 40 Russian strategic bombers and surveillance aircraft across five airfields. Ukraine claims that the strike caused an estimated $7 billion in damage and took 34% of Russia’s cruise missile carrier fleet out of operation.
Trump described the call as “a good conversation, but not a conversation that will lead to immediate peace.”
“President Putin did say, and very strongly, that he will have to respond to the recent attack on the airfields,” Trump wrote.
Putin’s presidential aide Yuri Ushakov confirmed that the Russian leader told Trump that Russia will respond to the recent Ukrainian strike. According to Ushakov, Trump also told Putin that the U.S. had not been informed in advance about Ukraine’s June 1 attack.
Putin told Trump that Ukraine was attempting to undermine the ceasefire talks through its recent attacks, but expressed confidence in the process, saying the latest round of negotiations in Istanbul had been productive and that he hoped they would continue, according to Ushakov.
The second round of direct peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, held in Istanbul on Monday, concluded without a major breakthrough, though both sides agreed to proceed with another exchange of prisoners of war.
Meanwhile, Trump and Putin also discussed Iran’s nuclear program during their recent phone call.
“We also discussed Iran, and the fact that time is running out on Iran’s decision pertaining to nuclear weapons, which must be made quickly!” Trump wrote. “I stated to President Putin that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon and, on this, I believe that we were in agreement.”
Trump added that 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.”
