Putin, Trump discuss Middle East situation over phone

MOSCOW, June 15: Russian President Vladimir Putin and his  U.S. counterpart Donald Trump

had discussed the situation in the Middle  East in a phone conversation, the Kremlin said.

“The  conversation lasted for 50 minutes, it was substantive, sincere and very  useful,” Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said on Saturday.

“Naturally, it  was focused on the dangerous exacerbation of the situation in the Middle  East.”

Putin denounced the Israeli military operation against Iran and  expressed grave concern over the possible escalation of the conflict,  which would have unpredictable consequences for the entire Middle East  region, he said in a statement.

“Putin emphasized the importance of  preventing the conflict from escalating and the readiness of the Russian  side to engage in possible mediation efforts,” he said.

Trump also  views the situation as very alarming, he said, adding that the Russian  and U.S. presidents do not rule out a return to the negotiating track on  Iran’s nuclear program.

Trump noted that the team of U.S. negotiators  is ready to resume work with Iranian representatives, according to  Ushakov.

Putin also informed Trump about the execution of the agreements  reached by the Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Istanbul on June 2  and expressed readiness to continue talks with the Ukrainian side after  June 22, he said.

Trump took note of this information and reiterated his  interest in bringing the Russian-Ukrainian conflict to a speedy  conclusion, he added.

(UNI)