US President Donald Trump on Monday dialed his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to discuss the conflicts in Iran and Ukraine.
According to a report by the Russia Today, Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov told journalists that the American president initiated the call to discuss the latest international developments.
Meanwhile, Trump said that Putin wants to be helpful in the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
"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 a never-ending fight," Trump said.
"There is tremendous hatred between President Putin and President Zelenskyy. But I think it was positive call on that subject. We obviously talked about the Middle East and he wants to be helpful," he added.
Putin and Trump spoke for about an hour. The conversation between the two focused on the Iran conflict and trilateral talks between Washington, Moscow and Kyiv aimed at settling the Ukraine conflict.
"Tonight, a phone call of the Russian and US presidents has taken place. The conversation was businesslike, open and constructive, which is usually the case in dialogue between the Russian and US leaders."
As per Ushakov, Trump reaffirmed the commitment of the US to seeing a long-term settlement between Russia and Ukraine in the wake of the prolonged conflict. Ushakov added that Putin thanked Trump for his administration's continued mediation efforts, according to Ushakov.
Putin shared his thoughts on the Middle East crisi and told Trump about his conversations last week with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and leaders from the Gulf countries.
The last time the two presidents held a phone call was in December. The White House described it as "positive" at the time. Earlier on Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin extended greetings to Mojtaba Khamenei following his appointment as Iran's new supreme leader, as per RT News.
Futher, he pledged Russia's unwavering support for Iran amid the ongoing conflict involving the US-Israeli alliance with Iran.
"At time when Iran is confronting armed aggression. I am confident that you will honourably continue the cause of your father and rally the Iranian people. I wish to reaffirm our unwavering support for Tehran," Putin was cited as saying by RT News.
Russia Today further reported that Putin warned that continued conflict in West Asia could seriously disrupt global oil and gas flows, leading to a halt in Gulf oil production and a "new... price reality," he told a government meeting.
The developments follow amid heightened tensions in West Asia as military operations and retaliatory actions involving Iran, the United States and Israel continue to escalate across the region, following the killing of Iran's Supreme Leader, 86-year-old Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in joint military strikes by the US and Israel on February 28.
The strikes also killed several senior leaders of the Islamic Republic.
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