U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a phone conversation, with differing accounts emerging about the discussion's focus and the origins of key proposals.
According to a Kremlin aide, Yuri Ushakov, the call covered the conflicts in Ukraine and Iran. On Ukraine, the Russian side stated that Putin informed Trump of Russia's readiness to declare a ceasefire for the duration of the upcoming Victory Day celebrations. The aide said this proposal came after Trump spoke positively about a previous Easter ceasefire declared by Russia. The Kremlin's account portrays Trump as actively supporting this initiative and stating that a peace deal was near.
However, Trump later presented a different version, claiming it was he who had proposed that Putin declare a brief ceasefire. He then asked journalists if the Russian president had already announced it, as reported by the independent Russian outlet Meduza. This creates a direct contradiction over which leader originated the ceasefire idea.
Regarding Iran, the framing of discussions varies by source. Trump himself stated that the call focused more on Ukraine than Iran, according to European publication Le Monde. Conversely, Middle Eastern outlet Al Jazeera reports Trump saying Putin told him he would "like to be involved" in settling the impasse over Iranian nuclear enrichment. Latin American source Folha de S.Paulo adds further context, reporting that the Russian leader presented ideas to resolve the dispute around Iran's nuclear program and also cautioned Trump about the "harmful consequences" of new military action in Iran.
The call's duration was reported as lasting more than an hour and a half by Latin American publication Clarin.
Meduza provided additional background on the security context for the proposed Victory Day ceasefire in Russia, noting that celebrations in major cities will be limited this year due to Ukrainian drone attacks. It also recalled that the previous Easter ceasefire was unilateral and short-lived, with both Russia and Ukraine accusing the other of violations while insisting they had adhered to the terms.