In a significant one-hour call on Saturday, June 14, 2025, President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed a range of pressing global conflicts, with particular emphasis on the rapidly escalating situation in the Middle East and the ongoing war in Ukraine. The conversation, confirmed by Trump on Truth Social, underscored the volatility of current international affairs.
According to Trump’s post, a primary focus was the Middle East, where tensions have surged following Israel’s “preemptive” strike on Iranian military leaders and nuclear infrastructure, and Iran’s subsequent retaliation. The two leaders also touched on the critical need for a new nuclear agreement between the U.S. and Iran.
While the Middle East crisis took center stage, Trump noted that “much less time was spent” on Russia’s war with Ukraine, a conversation he indicated would be deferred until the following week. He did, however, mention planned prisoner exchanges between the two sides in that conflict, which reportedly began earlier this week, stating that “large numbers of prisoners are being exchanged, immediately, from both sides.”
This dialogue comes despite recent reports from POLITICO highlighting escalating tensions between Trump and Putin, with Trump having previously warned the Russian leader he was “playing with fire” by not engaging in serious peace talks regarding Ukraine. Interestingly, Trump’s Saturday post reiterated a shared desire for the Middle East conflict to end, and he directly addressed Putin’s war, specifically referring to it as “his war.” Trump wrote, “He feels, as do I, this war in Israel-Iran should end, to which I explained, his war should also end.”
Adding to a busy day of diplomatic engagements, Trump also held discussions with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Saturday. Von der Leyen, announcing their call on X, stated they addressed similar geopolitical issues and progressed on trade negotiations, reiterating a commitment to “reach a good deal before July 9.”
The call with Putin concluded on a more personal note, as the Russian leader “very nicely” wished President Trump a happy 79th birthday.
