Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump held a 90-minute phone conversation on April 29 focused mainly on the war in Ukraine, while also touching on the Middle East and the ongoing ceasefire between the United States and Iran.
The call was confirmed both by Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov and by Trump himself. According to the Kremlin, Putin used the conversation to raise the idea of a temporary ceasefire in Ukraine during Russia's Victory Day celebrations on May 9. Ushakov said Trump supported the proposal.
Putin has repeatedly floated the idea of short-term truces tied to symbolic dates while continuing to reject Kyiv's demand for a full unconditional ceasefire. Ukraine has previously accused Russia of violating such limited pauses in fighting, saying Moscow broke the Easter truce more than 400 times during the Orthodox holiday ceasefire.
According to Ushakov, Trump told Putin that a broader agreement to end the war could be close. The Kremlin official also said Putin insisted that Russian troops continue advancing on the battlefield and that Moscow believes it can still secure victory, although Russia would prefer to reach its goals through negotiations.
Speaking later from the White House alongside astronauts from the Artemis II mission, Trump confirmed the conversation and said Ukraine was the main topic.
?I talked about a few different subjects, mostly about Ukraine, and we had a very good conversation. I think we're going to come up with a solution relatively quickly. I hope,? Trump said.
He added that he believed Putin wanted an end to the war.
?I think he'd like to see a solution, I can tell you, and that's good,? Trump said.
Trump also revealed that Putin offered Russian assistance regarding Iran, but the U.S. president said his priority was for Moscow to focus on ending the war in Ukraine instead.
?He offered to help with Iran. I said, do me a favor, help us with Russia, not Iran,? Trump said, making clear that he would rather see progress on Ukraine first.
Trump said he had personally raised the issue of a temporary truce during the call.
?I suggested a little bit of a ceasefire, and I think he might do that. He might announce something having to do with that,? he said. ?I asked him about it, even if it's a little ceasefire, there's so many people being killed. It's so ridiculous.?
He also stated that in his view, Putin had been ready for a deal earlier, but that outside factors had complicated the process.
?I think Putin was ready to make a deal a while ago. I think some people made it difficult for him to make a deal,? Trump said, without specifying whom he meant.
On the role of Washington's European NATO allies, Trump said they remain involved in supporting Ukraine, but criticized them for not acting in line with U.S. expectations and for not contributing enough during American strikes on Iran.
?They didn?t do things the way we would like to see,? he said.
At present, no phone call is scheduled between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, although a source close to Ukraine's Presidential Office said that could change quickly.
U.S.-led peace efforts have recently slowed as Russia continues to insist on territorial demands that Kyiv refuses to accept. At the same time, Trump's diplomatic focus has increasingly shifted toward the Middle East, even as the war in Ukraine remains unresolved.
