Putin urged Trump not to send Tomahawk missiles, calling for diplomacy
Photo: Russian President Vladimir Putin with his aide Yuri Ushakov (Getty Images)
The phone conversation between US President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin lasted two and a half hours. The main focus was on the war in Ukraine, said Putin's aide Yuri Ushakov, according to Russian media.
Putin claimed that Russia was achieving success on the battlefield but said he supported a political and diplomatic way to resolve the war.
The Russian President also brought up the potential delivery of long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine. He tried to convince Trump that such missiles would not change the situation on the front but would damage Russia–US relations.
During the call, Trump highlighted his past success in resolving conflicts. According to Ushakov, Trump mentioned the great opportunities for economic cooperation between Russia and the United States after the war in Ukraine ends.
As reported earlier, Trump and Putin agreed during their conversation that representatives of the United States and Russia will meet next week. The US President also said he plans to meet Putin in Budapest to discuss the possibility of ending the "inglorious" war between Russia and Ukraine.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, whose government is considered friendly to Russia, quickly reacted to the news, saying the planned Trump–Putin meeting in Budapest was "great news for the peace-loving people of the world."
The White House, commenting on reports of a possible Budapest summit, stated that President Trump still believes he can arrange a meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the Russian leader.
