Trump says he urged Putin to ‘be helpful’ by ending Russia-Ukraine war during recent call

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump said he had a "very good call" with Russian President Vladimir Putin not long ago and pushed him to "be helpful" and stop the war between Russia and Ukraine.

Trump shared this with reporters at a press conference, where he also talked about other global issues, like the situation in the Middle East.

He said he told Putin that if Russia really wants to help, ending the war in Ukraine is the way to do it.

Trump details call with Putin

President Donald Trump held a press conference at his Trump National Doral resort in Florida on Monday, March 9, and he was asked about his call earlier in the day with Russia’s Vladimir Putin.

A reporter asked Trump, “Thank you so much. Do you approve of Iran’s new supreme leader? And secondly, can you tell us more about your call with Russian President Vladimir Putin today? What did you discuss?”

According to Trump, the conversation with Putin extended beyond Ukraine and included discussions about the broader geopolitical situation, particularly rising tensions in the Middle East.

“Yes, I had a very good call with President Putin. We had a lot of people on the line, from our side, from his side. We were talking about Ukraine, which is just a never-ending fight. And when, look, there’s tremendous hatred between President Putin and President Zelensky,” Trump replied.

Trump says Putin wants to 'be helpful' and 'very constructive'

Trump says he and Putin talked about more than just Ukraine. They got into the bigger picture, especially the growing tension in the Middle East. The US is tangled up in its standoff with Iran, all while still trying to handle the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.

“They can’t seem to get it together. But I think it was a positive call on that subject, and we obviously talked then about the Middle East,” the commander-in-chief said. 

Trump also stated that Putin indicated he was willing to play a constructive role in addressing global conflicts.

“And he wants to be helpful. I said that you could be more helpful by getting the Ukraine-Russia war over with. That would be more help. But we had a very good talk, and he wants to be very constructive,” he shared.