President Donald Trump confirmed that he spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin “yesterday,” focusing primarily on escalating tensions in the Middle East, according to the Kremlin. Speaking from the White House on June 18, Trump shared that the two leaders held a lengthy conversation about both regional crises and the war in Ukraine.
Trump recounted that Putin had offered to mediate in the Middle Eastern conflict—between Israel and Iran—during their call. Trump responded by telling Putin to instead tackle the situation in Ukraine first, saying, “Do me a favor – mediate your own. Let’s mediate Russia first, you can worry about this later.”. He added that Putin “is ready” to engage, and that their talk lasted approximately one hour.
According to Reuters, the Kremlin confirmed the conversation focused “much less” on Ukraine, with the majority of discussion centered on the Middle East. Putin reportedly conveyed serious concern about the potential for escalation between Israel and Iran. Both leaders allegedly agreed that the Israel–Iran war should end—and that Putin’s war in Ukraine should also come to a close.
Trump’s engagement comes amid escalating regional tensions: Israel has launched airstrikes on Iranian targets, and Iran has retaliated. The U.S. has also held back channel diplomatic efforts to reduce the likelihood of broader conflict.
