Vladimir Putin’s call with U.S. President Donald Trump lasted two and a half hours and was substantive, “extremely frank and confidential,” Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said.
He noted that the conversation placed “special emphasis on the Ukrainian crisis,” with Putin offering detailed assessments of the situation.
In particular, Putin said the Russian army “fully holds the strategic initiative along the entire line of contact.” Under these conditions, he claimed, Kyiv “resorts to terrorist methods,” to which Russia is “forced to respond accordingly.”
Putin also addressed potential U.S. deliveries of long-range missiles to Ukraine.
“Vladimir Putin reiterated his thesis that Tomahawks will not change the situation on the battlefield, but this will cause significant damage to relations between our countries, not to mention the prospects for a peaceful settlement,” Ushakov’s comments said, as published on the Kremlin’s website.
Thus, one can conclude that Putin threatened to walk away from peace talks if Ukraine receives weapons capable of striking targets deep inside Russian territory.
In addition, during the call, Putin outlined “Russia’s principled position in favor of a comprehensive Middle East settlement on a universally recognized international legal basis that would guarantee a sustainable peace for all the peoples of the region.”
Ushakov confirmed an agreement on a potential Trump–Putin meeting in Budapest.
Notably, the Kremlin press service did not publish a readout of the U.S. president’s conversation with the Kremlin leader, even though it usually releases at least a brief note, if not a transcript, about talks with foreign leaders.
Russian media, however, amplified Ushakov’s remark that Trump did not congratulate Putin on his recent birthday. “No one raised that issue; the issue was not touched upon,” state outlets quoted Ushakov as saying.
