Trump and Putin Hold 85-Minute Call on Ukraine, Iran and Middle East
U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin held an 85-minute phone call on Saturday focused primarily on efforts to resolve the war in Ukraine, with discussions also covering Iran and the Middle East.
Trump-Putin Call Centers on Ukraine Peace Efforts
U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin held an 85-minute phone call on Saturday to discuss the war in Ukraine, Iran, the Middle East and other international issues, according to the Kremlin. [1] The conversation came shortly after Trump spoke separately with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. [1] According to Yuri Ushakov, the Kremlin’s foreign policy adviser, Trump and Putin focused primarily on efforts to resolve the conflict in Ukraine. [1] Ushakov said the leaders also discussed Iran, the broader Middle East and several other international issues during the call. [1] “The presidents of Russia and the United States discussed the settlement of the Ukraine issue,” Ushakov told Russia’s state news agency RIA Novosti. [1] He did not disclose further details about the discussions or say whether any agreements were reached. [1] The Kremlin did not immediately release further information about the discussions beyond Ushakov’s remarks. [1] The White House had also not issued a detailed public readout of the call at the time of writing. [1]
Zelenskyy Describes Separate Talk With Trump as Very Good
Earlier on Saturday, Zelenskyy said he had spoken with Trump about the battlefield situation in Ukraine, continued Western support for Kyiv and diplomatic efforts aimed at ending the war. [1] He described the conversation as “very good” but did not provide additional details. [1] The call with Putin came shortly after this separate discussion with Zelenskyy, who described their discussion on the war in Ukraine as “very good” in a post on social media. [1]
Kremlin Provides Limited Readout on Iran and Middle East Talks
The leaders also exchanged views on Iran and the broader Middle East, according to the Kremlin. [1] Ushakov said the leaders discussed the settlement of the Ukraine issue, Iran, the broader Middle East and other international issues but provided no further details or mention of agreements reached. [1] No further details were released regarding those discussions. [1] The series of diplomatic contacts came as international attention remained focused on the war in Ukraine and broader regional security issues, with Western governments continuing to monitor developments in Eastern Europe and the Middle East. [1]
Positions on Ukraine Negotiations Remain Far Apart
Trump has repeatedly said he wants to help end the war in Ukraine through negotiations while maintaining communication with both Kyiv and Moscow. [1] Russia remains open to negotiations but insists any settlement must reflect the “new realities” on the ground, a position Ukraine has rejected in favor of respecting its sovereignty and territorial integrity. [1] Russia has said it remains open to negotiations but insists that any settlement must reflect what it describes as the “new realities” on the ground. [1] Ukraine has rejected that position, saying any peace agreement must respect its sovereignty and territorial integrity. [1]
Parallel Geopolitical Developments in Asia and Turkey
China and Russia will hold joint naval drills off the China coast. [3] Analysts anticipate Trump’s upcoming visit to Turkey for the NATO summit could unlock a deal for fighter jet engines for Turkey’s KAAN project but is unlikely to resolve the F-35 dispute. [4] US President Donald Trump’s visit to Ankara for the NATO summit could help secure Turkey’s acquisition of dozens of fighter jet engines, but won’t resolve the F-35 dispute that has soured ties, analysts say. [4] The July 7-8 summit, which is being hosted by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, will bring together leaders from the military alliance’s 32 member states. [4] Last month, Trump promised to make Erdogan “very happy” when asked about Turkey looking to secure F110 jet engines and being readmitted to the F-35 fighter jet programme. [4] Analysts said it would likely mean freeing up fighter jet engines Turkey wants to use in its flagship KAAN stealth fighter project. [4] “It’s likely to be the green light for the F110 GE engines for the KAAN fighter plane, about 40 of them. There had been obstacles to that supply, and very possibly those are now being removed,” Sinan Ulgen, director of the Istanbul-based Edam think tank, told AFP. [4] “Turkey has produced a couple of prototypes which are flying with the F110 engine, but it has been waiting for the supply of additional engines to increase the number of KAAN platforms,” he said. [4] KAAN is a twin-engine stealth fighter being developed by Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) to replace the Turkish Air Force’s fleet of F-16s as Ankara seeks to join the exclusive club of nations producing fifth-generation combat aircraft, notably the US, China and Russia. [4] Although Turkey will eventually fit the fighter with its own domestically-produced engine — the F110s lacking stealth capability — that project is still in the preliminary design phase, Defence Minister Yasar Guler said in September. [4] Turkey received a first batch of 10 F110s in September, and talks with the US government to acquire 80 more were “ongoing”, he said. [4] But that’s been held up by a lack of political clearance linked to Turkey’s 2017 acquisition of a Russian S-400 missile defence system, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said in September. [4] Infuriated, Washington expelled Turkey from its F-35 fighter jet programme in 2019 and imposed CAATSA sanctions a year later, hampering Turkish defence projects and souring ties. [4] “The CAATSA issue must be resolved. The US needs to take steps both regarding the F-35 and the engines for KAAN. KAAN’s engines are currently awaiting approval in the US Congress,” Fidan said. [4] “Some argue we should not buy F-35s and invest that money into our own fifth-generation fighter jet programme. And that’s exactly what’s happening with President Trump’s decision to export jet engines,” Ozgur Unluhisarcikli, head of the German Marshall Fund in Ankara, said. [4] “Without those engines, Turkey cannot produce the KAAN jet.” [4] With a KAAN delivery date many years away, only Indonesia has placed an order, signing a $10bn contract to buy 48 fighters, although the NATO summit could generate further interest, Ulgen said. [4] “Looking at the failure of the German-French FCAS initiative, there may be some interest. Spain could potentially become a partner, and there may be interest from the Gulf as well… But there are more obstacles to be overcome for it to become a credible offer on the international stage,” he said. [4] Experts expected little progress on the lingering F-35 dispute: for Congress to lift the CAATSA sanctions, Ankara would have to get rid of the S-400 — but selling it to a third country would require Moscow’s approval, and returning it to the Russians was not on the cards. [4] “The US administration might wish to… put this issue behind it and sell Turkey some F-35, but that will go to Congress and changing the congressional decision won’t be easy,” said Professor Mustafa Aydin, an international relations expert at Istanbul’s Kadir Has University. [4] But Matthew Bryza, a retired US envoy and former senior White House and State Department official, said Trump could move to resolve the matter as the F-35 was an executive decision which he could easily reverse. [4] “President Trump can certainly declare that the S-400/F-35 dispute is finished. It’s the CAATSA sanctions that require congressional action. Whether he can persuade Congress to do that depends on how much political capital he’s willing to expend,” he told AFP of a move that could be “politically costly in the lead-up to the midterm elections” due to Turkey’s opponents in the Greek and Armenian diaspora. [4]
Israel-UAE Defense Cooperation Deepens Amid Iran Conflict
Israel sent an Iron Dome system and dozens of IDF troops to the United Arab Emirates during the recent war with Iran. [5] Multiple Israeli officials have stated that the decision to send the Iron Dome battery and interceptors was made after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a phone call with UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed (MBZ). [5] Dozens of Iranian missiles fired towards the Gulf state were intercepted by the system. [5] This was the first instance of the Iron Dome being utilized operationally outside of the United States or Israel, though Singapore has previously reportedly purchased and received Iron Dome and Romania is expected to do so as well. [5] Iran fired several hundred more ballistic and cruise missiles at the UAE during the war than it did at Israel, and also launched thousands of drones at it. [5] Although the vast majority of missiles and drones were shot down, some penetrated the defense shield and struck a mix of military and civilian targets in the country. [5] Both the US and Israel, though mostly the US, conducted strikes against Iranian ballistic missile teams in southern Iran to also reduce the volume of missiles being fired at the UAE. [5] Military, security and intelligence cooperation between Israel and the UAE has been on the rise since the countries signed the Abraham Accords in September 2020, but reached new heights during the recent Iran war. [5]
What to watch next: China and Russia will hold joint naval drills off the China coast while analysts anticipate Trump’s upcoming visit to Turkey for the NATO summit could unlock a deal for fighter jet engines for Turkey’s KAAN project.
