Trump and Putin hold 75-minute call on Ukraine strikes and Iran nuclear threat

After Ukrainian drone strikes on Russia's nuclear-capable bombers, Trump and Putin held a tense phone call warning of escalation and reigniting concerns over Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke for over an hour on Wednesday, discussing the latest wave of Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory and the looming threat of Iran’s nuclear program. The high-stakes conversation comes amid rising tensions and fears of global escalation.

The Kremlin said Putin informed Trump about the results of Russia-Ukraine peace negotiations in Istanbul—talks which Moscow claims Kyiv tried to sabotage by launching attacks on civilian and military targets, including airfields and bridges.

In a 75-minute phone call, Trump acknowledged that Putin was “very strong” in his warning that Russia would respond to Ukraine’s recent drone strike on nuclear-capable bomber fleets stationed deep inside Russian territory, including in Siberia and the far north.

“These attacks were not minor,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “We discussed the attack on Russia’s docked airplanes, and other events. It was a good conversation, but not one that will lead to immediate peace.”

Trump also addressed the Iran nuclear issue, telling Putin that Iran must never obtain nuclear weapons. According to Trump, Putin agreed in principle, though Tehran continues to "slowwalk" talks, raising fresh concerns in Washington.

This wasn’t just diplomatic theater. The stakes are high. Russia’s strategic bomber fleet is one of the three pillars of its nuclear triad, along with land-based intercontinental missiles and submarine-launched nukes. Striking any component of that system is considered a serious escalation.

The Kremlin noted that Trump had told Putin the U.S. had no prior knowledge of Ukraine’s June 1 attacks—something Moscow seems to question. Trump’s Ukraine envoy warned that the risk of escalation “is going way up” following these latest developments.

The backdrop to all this? Trump’s months-long campaign to push for a negotiated peace deal, even as the war grinds into its fourth year—the deadliest conflict in Europe since World War II. Yet his calls for calm come as both sides dig in deeper.

International observers say Putin’s tone has hardened. After the drone strikes and a deadly bridge bombing blamed on Kyiv, the Russian leader now claims that Ukraine has no real interest in peace.

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