Putin tells Trump talks with Ukrain is useful despite disruption

5/6/2025 6:11

Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin

told U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday that a second

round of peace talks between Russia and Ukraine was useful

despite Kyiv's attempt to disrupt them by staging attacks Putin

considered terrorism, a Kremlin foreign policy aide said.



Yuri Ushakov also said that the two presidents discussed

other international issues, particularly the Middle East

conflict and how Russia could help deal with Iran and its

nuclear programme.



Ushakov told reporters after Putin and Trump spoke by

telephone for more than an hour that Ukrainian attacks on

bridges and other civilian infrastructure were an attempt to

torpedo the negotiations.



"It was stressed that Ukraine tried to disrupt these talks

by carrying out, on the direct orders of the Kyiv regime,

deliberate attacks on civilian targets, on peaceful civilians,"

Ushakov told reporters.



"The Kyiv regime has in essence degenerated into a terrorist

organisation. The Russian side did not give in to provocations

... Let me stress that our president described in detail the

content of the talks and that these talks on the whole were

useful."



Memorandums outlining peace plans were exchanged and will be

analysed, Ushakov said, "and we hope that afterwards the two

sides will be able to continue their talks."



He said the issue of a possible meeting between Putin and

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy had not been raised at

this stage.



But talks with Ukraine were possible despite what Moscow

denounced as terrorist acts as "on the whole they are vital to

achieve some sort of settlement."



Ushakov said Trump "listened intently" to Putin's

description of events in Ukraine. "I think it was very useful

for Trump to hear our assessment of what has been happening."



Both presidents, he said, described their exchanges as

"positive and very productive. Both President Trump and our

president confirmed their readiness to remain in contact."



On Iran, Ushakov said the United States believed Russia

could play an important role in helping with the difficulties

over Tehran's nuclear programme.



"Donald Trump believes that Russian assistance is possible

and vital and he would be grateful if Russia could help in an

appropriate fashion by working with the Iranian side," he said.



The two presidents, he said, also discussed the Middle East

and tensions between India and Pakistan.