Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump
This is reported by the Russian Foreign Ministry.
According to Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov, Putin expressed support for Trump in connection with the assassination attempt and strongly condemned the incident.
According to media reports, Vladimir Putin said that he was ready to declare a ceasefire for the period of Victory Day celebrations.
“Donald Trump positively assessed Russia’s recently announced Easter truce. In this regard, Vladimir Putin informed his American counterpart about the readiness to declare a truce for the period of Victory Day celebrations as well, Trump actively supported this initiative,” Ushakov said.
The Russian president also informed his American counterpart about the situation in the war zone in Ukraine, emphasizing that the goals of the special military operation will be achieved, but Moscow would prefer to resolve the issue through negotiations. He said that in order to settle the conflict, Volodymyr Zelensky should respond positively to the previously voiced proposals.
According to Ushakov, Trump emphasized the importance of an early cessation of hostilities, as well as his readiness on his part to assist in every possible way: “His confidants will continue contacts with both Moscow and Kiev. Donald Trump believes that a deal that would end the conflict in Ukraine is close at hand.”
Both Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump have expressed essentially similar assessments of the behavior of the Kiev regime led by Zelensky, which, instigated by the Europeans and supported by them, is pursuing a line to prolong the conflict,” Ushakov said.
Situation around Iran
The situation around Iran was discussed separately. Putin praised Trump’s decision to extend the ceasefire and said it could help stabilize the situation.
In addition, the Russian president emphasized that a ground operation against Iran would be “unacceptable and dangerous.”
Trump called his conversation with Putin “very good.” He also said that he hoped for an early peaceful solution to the Ukrainian conflict.
Putin, according to Trump, was ready to make a deal on Ukraine some time ago, but was prevented by “some people.”
Disagreements between the US and European countries on Ukraine persist, Trump noted.
How Trump confused Iran and Ukraine
During the press conference, Trump probably confused Iran with Ukraine, answering a journalist’s question about which of the two conflicts, in his opinion, will end sooner, the BBC writes.
“I don’t know. Maybe the time frame will be the same,” the US president replied. And continued: “Ukraine… militarily they have been defeated. You wouldn’t know it from the fake media, but from a military point of view… The fleet… 159 ships – and they’re all underwater right now.”
A week earlier, Trump had already stated that the US military had sunk 159 Iranian ships, so it is obvious from the context: when speaking about military defeat, he was referring not to Ukraine, but to Iran.
Shortly after the press conference, Andriy Kovalenko, an officer of the Ukrainian Defense Forces and head of the Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council, drew attention to this. “Trump confused Ukraine and Iran when he talked about ‘159 sunken ships’ and the defeat in the war. This is important to clarify,” Kovalenko wrote.
CNN also noted that when talking about military defeat, Trump probably mistakenly named another country.
The White House has not yet commented on these remarks by Trump.
