Putin and Trump hold phone call
Russian President Vladimir Putin held a phone call with his US counterpart, Donald Trump, on Thursday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has confirmed.
Trump had taken to his Truth Social platform around 40 minutes prior to the Russian confirmation to announce that he was engaged in an “ongoing” and “lengthy” call with Putin.
The discussion between the two leaders comes amid escalating tensions between Moscow and Washington over Trump’s suggestion that he could provide long-range Tomahawk missiles – capable of striking deep into Russia – to Ukraine, ahead of his planned meeting with Vladimir Zelensky on Friday.
Moscow has condemned the potential move and warned that it would obliterate the diplomatic goodwill established between Russia and the US without changing the situation on the frontline.
Supplying these weapons to Kiev would also force Moscow to take necessary retaliatory measures, Kremlin spokesman Peskov has said.
The phone call marks the first contact between Putin and Trump since they met in person in Anchorage, Alaska in mid-August.
Moscow has indicated that since the summit, there has been a noticeable winding down of communication with Washington. Nevertheless, Russian officials have stated that the Alaska process is “not finished” and that the “spirit of Anchorage” is still “alive.”
