Putin, Trump discuss Middle East, Ukraine in call

MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the conflict between Israel and Iran, as well as efforts towards a Ukraine settlement in a phone call with US counterpart Donald Trump, the Kremlin said Saturday.

It was the fourth phone call between the two leaders under efforts to reset relations since Trump took office, in a stark pivot from the approach of his predecessor Joe Biden’s administration.

“The dangerous escalation in the Middle East was of course at the centre of the exchange,” the Kremlin said, after Israel on Friday bombarded Iran, prompting Iran to launch strikes at Israel in return.

Also read: Sunday’s US-Iran nuclear talks cancelled, Oman says

The Russian president said Moscow was ready to mediate between Israel and Iran, it added.

Both Putin and Trump expressed concern about the recent escalation in the Middle East, but both still “did not rule out a return to negotiations on Iran’s nuclear programme”, according to the statement.

It said Putin also informed Trump about the “implementation of the agreements reached at the meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Istanbul on June 2”.

The Russian leader told his US counterpart that Russia was ready to continue negotiations with Ukraine after June 22, while Trump acknowledged this and “reiterated his interest in the swift resolution of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict”, the Kremlin added.

Putin also congratulated Trump on his birthday and both leaders mentioned the “brotherhood in arms” between Russia and the United States during World War Two.

Meanwhile, China’s top diplomat Wang Yi held phone calls with his Israeli and Iranian counterparts on Saturday, the foreign ministry said, in which he made clear to both Beijing’s support for Tehran.

The two Middle Eastern powers exchanged fire on Saturday, a day after Israel unleashed an unprecedented aerial bombing campaign that targeted Iranian nuclear and military facilities.

International calls for restraint are multiplying as fears grow the region could be on the threshold of a broader conflict.

China’s foreign ministry released separate statements late on Saturday announcing Wang’s phone calls with his counterparts.

Wang first spoke to Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, telling him Beijing “supports Iran in safeguarding its national sovereignty, defending its legitimate rights and interests, and ensuring the safety of its people”.

China enjoys close ties with Iran — Beijing is its largest commercial partner and the main buyer of its oil, with Tehran still under crushing US sanctions.

Wang told Araghchi that Israel’s actions “seriously violate… the basic norms governing international relations”, and noted the attacks on Tehran’s nuclear facilities “have set a dangerous precedent with potentially catastrophic consequences”.

A second statement released shortly afterwards detailed Wang’s talk with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar.

Wang told Saar that “China clearly opposes Israel’s violation of international law by attacking Iran with force”, calling its behaviour “unacceptable”.

Wang recounted his phone call with Araghchi to Saar, the statement said.

“Diplomatic means for the Iranian nuclear issue have not been exhausted and there is still hope for a peaceful solution. Force cannot bring lasting peace,” Wang was quoted as saying.

He told both men that China was willing to play “a constructive role” in de-escalating the conflict.