Trump says Putin called him to offer help with Iran
U.S. President Donald Trump said on June 24 that his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin had called him and offered to help resolve the conflict between Iran and Israel, Fox News reported.
"As you know, Vladimir called me up. He said, can I help you with Iran? I said, 'no, I don't need help with Iran. I need help with you.' And I hope we're going to be getting a deal done with Russia, which is a shame. Six thousand soldiers died last week," Trump told journalists while heading to a NATO summit.
Trump's remarks come as The Hague hosts the NATO summit on June 24-25, at which the American leader is expected to meet Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Trump added he would like "to see a deal with Russia," which recently launched a new summer offensive against Ukraine, disregarding calls by Kyiv and its Western partners for an unconditional ceasefire.
The U.S. president did not provide further details on a potential deal with Russia.
Russia has deepened military and political ties with Tehran during the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Iran has supplied Moscow with thousands of Shahed attack drones used in routine strikes on Ukrainian cities.
Russia and Iran have cooperated to develop their own nuclear programs as both countries face Western sanctions. Russia supplied Iran with the Middle East's first nuclear power plant despite objections from the West.
Tensions between Iran and Israel had already been rising after Iran launched missile strikes on Tel Aviv and other Israeli cities on June 13, killing multiple civilians, including five Ukrainian nationals. The attack came in retaliation for Israeli military action.
Following several days of escalating conflict, Trump announced a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, but it was violated within hours of the American president's statement.
Anna Fratsyvir
