Russia says Putin-Trump call could be arranged 'quickly' after US resumes Ukraine aid

A day after the US lifted its suspension of military aid and intelligence sharing for Ukraine, Russia on Wednesday said a phone call between President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump could be arranged "very quickly" if necessary, according to the state-run TASS news agency. The Trump administration on Tuesday resumed military aid and intelligence sharing for Ukraine, as Kyiv endorsed a US proposal for a 30-day ceasefire in the war with Russia, pending Moscow's approval, during pivotal talks in Saudi Arabia.

Reacting to the development, the Kremlin said it does not rule out the possibility that the issue of a telephone conversation between Putin and Trump may arise following the US-Ukrainian negotiations and could be organised swiftly.

"We also do not rule out that the topic of a call at the highest level may arise. If such a need emerges, it will be organised very quickly. The existing channels of dialogue with the Americans make it possible to do this in a relatively short time," Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted as saying by TASS.


Peskov earlier said that Trump and Putin had only one telephone conversation on February 12 since the inauguration of the American leader on January 20. During that call, they discussed stopping fighting in Ukraine, bilateral relations, some other topics, and also agreed to continue contacts and organise an in-person meeting.