Kremlin releases transcript of phone call between President Putin and President Trump
On the evening of July 3 (Moscow time), the Kremlin announced the detailed content of the nearly 1-hour phone call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump.
Putin's aide, Yury Ushakov, said the two leaders had a frank discussion about the Ukraine peace process, the Middle East situation and bilateral cooperation.
Full text of the statement released by the Kremlin:
Dear colleagues,
Another phone call lasting nearly an hour between Russian President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin and US President Donald Trump has just ended.
At the beginning of the conversation, Mr. Donald Trump announced that the US Congress had passed his administration's flagship reform bill, covering tax, immigration and energy. President Trump himself called it "The Big and Beautiful Bill."
For his part, President Vladimir Putin wished Mr. Donald Trump success in implementing the proposed changes and sent congratulations on the occasion of US Independence Day (July 4).
On this occasion, the Russian side also stressed that Moscow played an important role in the formation of the American state, including in the War of Independence 250 years ago and then in the Civil War that ended 160 years ago. The two countries are not only linked by their role as allies in World Wars I and II, but also by deeper historical ties.
President Vladimir Putin also mentioned the meeting with the Russian business community just before the phone call. One of the ideas put forward was to organize an exchange of cinema works to promote traditional values that both Russia and the Trump administration cherish. President Trump responded immediately and said he liked the idea.
The two sides discussed in detail the situation in Iran and the overall situation in the Middle East. The Russian side stressed the importance of resolving all disputes, differences and conflicts exclusively through political and diplomatic means. The two leaders agreed to maintain contact on this issue between the diplomatic agencies, defense ministries and presidential aides of the two countries.
The latest developments in Syria were also mentioned. Similarly, Russia and the US intend to continue dialogue on this issue.
Of course, the issues surrounding Ukraine were also discussed. Donald Trump once again raised the issue of ending hostilities as soon as possible. For his part, President Vladimir Putin noted that Russia continues to seek a negotiated political solution to the conflict. He informed his counterpart about the progress of the implementation of humanitarian agreements reached during the second round of direct Russian-Ukrainian talks in Istanbul, and confirmed Russia's readiness to continue negotiations.
In addition, the Russian President stated that Moscow will strive to achieve its goals, namely to eliminate the root causes that led to the current situation – the fierce confrontation we are witnessing. Russia will not back down from these goals.
While discussing bilateral issues, the two sides confirmed common interests in implementing a number of potential projects in the economic field, especially in the energy sector and space exploration.
Overall, I would like to point out that the conversation between the two presidents, as always, showed that they are on the same page. The call was frank, substantive and specific. The two leaders will continue to communicate and will have another call soon.
Thank you."
