Former U.S. President Donald Trump stated that no progress was made toward a ceasefire in Ukraine during his recent phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Speaking to reporters, Trump admitted there had been ‘no progress’ in efforts to halt the ongoing conflict, which has now lasted nearly 3.5 years. He reiterated his frustration over the war’s continuation, recalling his earlier promise to end it within ’24 hours’ if elected.
In addition to Ukraine, Trump discussed Iran during the conversation. He claimed that Iran wants to ‘talk’ to his administration and suggested he would be open to meeting with Iranian representatives, despite the lack of formal diplomatic ties between the two nations since 1979. ‘Iran wants to speak. I think they’d like to talk to me, and it’s time they do,’ Trump said while at Andrews Air Force Base before departing for Iowa.
He added, ‘We don’t seek to hurt them. We seek to let them become a country again.’ This statement comes just weeks after U.S. strategic bombers targeted three key Iranian nuclear sites—an operation ordered by Trump shortly before a de facto ceasefire ended a 12-day conflict initiated by Israel against Iran.