President Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin by phone on Wednesday, during which the two leaders discussed the wars in Ukraine and Iran.
According to Russian officials, during the call, Putin said he was ready to declare a ceasefire with Ukraine on May 9 for Victory Day, the day Russia celebrates the Soviet Union’s victory in World War II. Trump told reporters that he “suggested a little bit of a ceasefire” and that Putin might announce it soon.
It’s unclear whether the ceasefire will hold, as a recent short truce meant to last 32 hours for Orthodox Easter fell apart quickly, with both sides accusing the other of violating the deal. The Trump-Putin call comes as the Trump administration’s efforts to end the war in Ukraine appear to be stalled, and the four-year-old conflict continues to rage.
Yury Ushakov, an aide to Putin, said the Russian leader expressed support for Trump’s decision to extend the ceasefire with Iran, though he warned against the US restarting the bombing campaign and launching a ground invasion.
“The Russian president drew attention to the inevitable, extremely harmful consequences not only for Iran and its neighbors, but also for the entire international community if the United States and Israel resort to violent actions again,” Ushakov said, according to Russia’s TASS news agency.
“And, of course, the option of a ground operation on the territory of Iran seems completely unacceptable and dangerous,” the Kremlin aide added.
After the call, Trump was asked which war he thought would end first, and he said he didn’t know. “Which war would end first? I don’t know, maybe they’re on a similar timetable,” he said.
