President Donald Trump revealed Saturday that Russian President Vladimir Putin personally called him that morning to offer birthday wishes—and to discuss urgent geopolitical matters, including the escalating war between Iran and Israel.
While their conversation only briefly touched on Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine, Trump suggested more substantive discussions on that front are expected “next week.”
Trump shared details of the call on social media, stating, “President Putin called this morning to very nicely wish me a Happy Birthday, but to more importantly talk about Iran, a country he knows very well.”
According to the president, the call lasted approximately an hour and was dominated by concerns about the Israel-Iran conflict, which intensified significantly over the past week following airstrikes, retaliatory drone attacks, and mounting casualties on both sides.
Trump said that both he and Putin agreed that the Middle East war should come to an end. Trump recounted telling the Russian leader that “his war should also end”—referring to Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, now in its third year.
Though minimal time was devoted to the Ukraine conflict during this call, Trump stated that updates on that subject would come “next week,” suggesting further diplomatic engagement may be underway.
Trump also indicated that Putin is actively executing planned prisoner swaps. “Large numbers of prisoners are being exchanged, immediately, from both sides,” he stated, although no additional specifics were provided.
This comment follows months of intermittent negotiations between Russia and various countries to secure the release of high-profile detainees, including Americans held in Russia.
Reaffirming his long-standing support for Israel, Trump reminded followers that he had issued a direct ultimatum to Iran just two months ago. “Two months ago I gave Iran a 60-day ultimatum to ‘make a deal,’” Trump wrote on Friday. “Today is day 61. I told them what to do, but they just couldn’t get there. Now they have, perhaps, a second chance!”
The warning, which had not been previously publicized in detail, adds a new layer to Trump’s foreign policy messaging as he positions himself as the voice of American strength and diplomatic leverage amid a backdrop of rising global instability.
