President Trump spoke on the phone with Russian leader Vladimir Putin Monday and discussed the war with Iran and the efforts to end the war in Ukraine, the Kremlin said.
Why it matters: This was the first call between Trump and Putin since the beginning of the war with Iran.
- Russia is a key ally of Iran and U.S. officials are concerned it is helping the Iranians in their war effort.
- Trump downplayed that scenario, but White House envoy Steve Witkoff told reporters on Saturday that he has communicated to Russian officials that they shouldn't share any intelligence with Iran.
Driving the news: Putin's foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov told Russian reporters that the call lasted around an hour and was "frank" and "businesslike."
- He claimed Putin presented Trump with "several proposals" for ending the war with Iran.
- Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said on state TV that France, China and Russia have reached out to discuss conditions for a ceasefire.
The other side: Several hours later, Trump told reporters he had "a very good call with Putin."
- "He wants to be helpful [with Iran]. I told him you can be more helpful by ending the war in Ukraine," Trump said.
The big picture: Ushakov added that Trump and Putin discussed the price spike in the oil markets.
- Last week the U.S. temporarily allowed India to buy Russian oil in the hopes of mitigating production shortages.
Go deeper: Europe answers Trump's call on Ukraine
Editor's note: This article has been updated with comment from President Trump.
