US President Donald Trump says Russian leader Vladimir Putin has made offers on enriched uranium to Iran – a key issue for a possible US-Iran peace deal – but Trump said he would prefer the Kremlin focus first on ending the war with Ukraine.
“I said, I would much more like you to be involved in ending the war with Ukraine,” Trump said, summarising details of his 29 April phone call with Putin.
“I said before you help me, I want to end your war,” Trump added.
The US president did not elaborate on the substance of Putin’s proposal, but the Kremlin has previously offered to remove enriched uranium from Iran, an offer most Western leaders have flatly rejected.
Trump is demanding that Tehran give up its nuclear programme and hand over all of its already enriched uranium – which could be used in an atomic bomb – as a prerequisite for a peace deal.
Iran insists its nuclear programme is for civilian purposes only and refuses to hand over its stockpile of enriched uranium, which is reportedly hidden in deep underground facilities.
Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov said that during the phone call Putin “noted the inevitable and extremely damaging consequences not only for Iran and its neighbours, but also for the entire international community if the US and Israel resort to military action again”.
Speaking in the Oval Office, Trump reiterated his demand that Tehran abandon any plans to build a nuclear bomb.
“At this point, there will never be an agreement unless Iran says it will never have a nuclear weapon,” the US president said.
Trump also repeated his claim that the US military has destroyed Iran’s navy and air force and devastated the country’s economy.
The US president said he was not prepared to send negotiators to meet the Iranian team in Islamabad for peace talks brokered by Pakistan because, he said, an 18-hour flight to get a piece of paper with demands “that you know you won’t accept” makes no sense.
“We’re negotiating on the phone,” he added. Trump went on to say that Iran has “come a long way” by already negotiating a peace deal with the US, but “we’ll see if they go far enough.”
Trump made the comments during a ceremony honouring the Artemis II astronauts who circled the moon earlier this month and returned to Earth.
US President Donald Trump, while speaking to reporters at the White House on 29 April, also said that a brief truce in Russia’s war against Ukraine was his idea. “I suggested to (Russian leader Vladimir) Putin a brief ceasefire; I think he could do it. Has he announced it yet?” – Trump asked, addressing members of the media.
The Kremlin said beforehand that it was Putin who suggested a ceasefire be declared during Victory Day celebrations on 9 May, but his adviser Yuri Ushakov did not specify exactly how long they were talking about.
Victory Day events in major Russian cities this year will be held mostly in a limited format due to Ukrainian drone attacks. In Moscow, the 9 May parade will be held without a display of military equipment for the first time in almost 20 years.
The last time Russia and Ukraine announced a ceasefire was on Easter. The actions of the sides were not coordinated-Putin announced the truce for 32 hours unilaterally, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the AFU would act in a mirrored manner. As a result, both sides accused each other of numerous violations, in return claiming that they themselves strictly observed the terms of the truce.
In 2025, Putin declared a ceasefire for three May days – 8, 9 and 10 May.