Trump speaks with Putin on Ukraine, Iran

Washington — President Trump said he and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke Wednesday about the possibility of a “little bit of a ceasefire” in Ukraine during a conversation about the wars there and in Iran. 

The president told reporters after the call that he thinks Putin might go with his suggestion, and might announce something about it. Russian state news agency TASS reported that Putin told Mr. Trump he was ready to declare a ceasefire for Victory Day, a Russian holiday on May 9 commemorating the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in 1945. 

“I had a long talk with President Putin,” the president told reporters in the Oval Office, flanked by astronauts from the Artemis II expedition for an event celebrating their accomplishments. “I suggested a little bit of a ceasefire and I think he might do that. He might announce something having to do with it.”

At the same time, Mr. Trump said he doesn’t know whether the Russia-Ukraine war or the U.S.’s war with Iran will end first. He mused about the possibility that the Ukraine and Iran wars could have a “similar timetable.” Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than four years ago.

“Which war would end first? I don’t know, maybe they’re on a similar timetable,” the president said when asked, calling it an “interesting question.” 

Mr. Trump said he thinks Putin would like to see a solution, and “he was ready to make a deal a while ago.” The U.S. president has pushed Russia and Ukraine to reach a deal for months, but little apparent progress has been made. 

“I think we’re going to come up with a solution relatively quickly,” he said on Ukraine, although it’s unclear how or when.

TASS said Mr. Trump and Putin spoke for over 90 minutes. 

During his call with Putin, Mr. Trump said the Russian president offered to help with “enrichment” in Iran, seemingly meaning to help remove Iran’s enriched uranium. 

But Mr. Trump said he told Putin he’d rather he focus on Ukraine.

“He told me he’d like to be involved with the enrichment, if he can help us get it,” Mr. Trump said. “I said, ‘I’d much rather have you be involved with ending the war with Ukraine.’ To me, that would be more important.”