Topline
President Donald Trump appeared to delete and repost a Truth Social post Wednesday announcing Russian President Vladimir Putin told him he wants to “strongly” retaliate against Ukraine’s drone strikes in a phone call that lasted more than an hour.
President Donald Trump disembarks from Air Force One while holding his cellphone with a text message … More
Key Facts
Trump said the two had “a good conversation, but not a conversation that will lead to immediate Peace,” writing on Truth Social that Putin “strongly” expressed his plans to retaliate against Ukraine for a surprise attack on Russian airfields inside Serbia on Sunday.
Trump said he and Putin also agreed “that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon,” and Putin suggested he might participate in talks between the U.S. and Iran for a new nuclear agreement.
Trump appeared to delete the post about an hour later and then repost it, though it’s unclear why.
The president announced the surprise call after days of silence following a series of drone attacks Ukraine launched against Russian airfields in Serbia on Sunday.
The call also comes after Trump and Putin exchanged criticism last month, with Trump calling Putin “crazy” after a barrage of attacks against Ukraine and the Kremlin shooting back by accusing Trump of “emotional overload.”
What To Watch For
The call comes as Russia and Ukraine engaged in direct talks in Istanbul that appeared to have made little progress as of Wednesday, with Moscow sticking firmly to its demands for Kyiv to cede significant portions of its territory. The Kremlin is also asking Ukraine to essentially pledge a demilitarization, which could expose the rest of Europe to Russian aggression as Ukraine is seen as a barrier.
Tangent
Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Wednesday firmly rejected the U.S.’ demand for Iran to abandon its uranium enrichment program, calling the proposal Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff presented over the weekend “nonsense.” Witkoff’s proposal suggested Iran could temporarily continue enriching uranium, though Trump in a Monday Truth Social post said “WE WILL NOT ALLOW ANY ENRICHMENT OF URANIUM!” appearing to contradict Witkoff.
Key Background
Ukraine said it destroyed 40 military bombers in a “large-scale” drone attack in Russia over the weekend. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said 117 drones were used in the operation and hit airfields in regions deep in Russia. Ukraine estimated the damages totaled more than $7 billion. Meanwhile, Russia on Sunday launched its largest drone attack against Ukraine, firing 472 drones at an army training site, killing at least 12 soldiers. Trump has ratcheted up his criticism of Putin in recent weeks as Moscow has refused to make any notable concessions in peace talks and has said he’s weighing additional sanctions against Russia. Wednesday’s call between Trump and Putin is their second in less than a month. After their previous conversation, Trump suggested he’d take a back seat in negotiations moving forward, announcing on Truth Social any peace agreement “will be negotiated between the two parties, as it can only be.”
Further Reading
Trump Says Putin Has ‘Gone Absolutely Crazy’ As He Weighs Sanctions On Russia (Forbes)
Trump Says Putin ‘Playing With Fire’—As He Ratchets Up Attacks On Russian Leader (Forbes)
Trump Says Ukraine And Russia Will Negotiate Ceasefire Directly After Putin Call (Forbes)
