WASHINGTON / MOSCOW / KYIV: US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are scheduled to hold a phone call on Thursday, followed by a likely conversation between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Friday, according to media reports.
Speaking to Russian journalists, President Putin confirmed, “I will talk to the US President today,” but did not offer any details about the expected content of the late-day call.
This marks the first publicly announced conversation between the two leaders in over two weeks and is scheduled for 14:00 GMT, US officials confirmed. The call will be the sixth publicly known exchange between Trump and Putin since Trump returned to the White House in January.
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The discussion comes amid Washington’s ongoing—though so far unsuccessful—efforts to address key global challenges, including the Ukraine conflict and strained economic cooperation with Russia.
Analysts believe the dialogue could prove pivotal, given broader shifts in the global order, including Russia’s resurgence, Eurasian ambivalence toward recent US-Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, and growing geopolitical tensions. If this round of diplomacy succeeds in brokering a permanent ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, it could offer much-needed peace—particularly beneficial to the Global South and middle powers.
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During the call, Putin is expected to reiterate Moscow’s support for Iran’s Masoud Pezeshkian. He may also tell Trump that Tehran has a “right” to develop a peaceful nuclear programme—an assertion he made earlier this week in a call with French President Emmanuel Macron. According to a Kremlin transcript cited by AFP, Putin emphasized “the lawful right of Tehran in developing a peaceful nuclear programme.”