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US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a "very good and productive" telephonic conversation on Thursday (local time), lasting "over two hours", during which key international issues were discussed.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt spoke with reporters, saying, "It was a very good and productive call. It lasted for over two hours. Various issues were discussed and President Putin congratulated President Trump for solving issues between Israel and Gaza and bringing peace back to the Middle East... President Trump feels that great progress was made on this call." Leavitt added that both leaders agreed to continue engagement through their senior officials. "They also agreed to have a high-level senior staff meeting convened as early as next week, which will then be followed by a meeting very likely between President Trump and President Putin as well. They talked about Budapest as being the location..." Trump commented on the call on Truth Social, stating, "I have just concluded my telephone conversation with President Vladimir Putin, of Russia, and it was a very productive one." He highlighted Putin's congratulations on the Middle East peace efforts, stating, "President Putin congratulated me and the United States on the Great Accomplishment of Peace in the Middle East, something that, he said, has been dreamed of for centuries." Trump expressed optimism, noting, "I actually believe that the Success in the Middle East will help in our negotiation in attaining an end to the War with Russia/Ukraine." The US President further mentioned discussions on trade between the two countries. "We also spent a great deal of time talking about Trade between Russia and the United States when the War with Ukraine is over," Trump wrote. Outlining the next steps, Trump said, "At the conclusion of the call, we agreed that there will be a meeting of our High-Level Advisors next week. The United States' initial meetings will be led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, together with various other people, to be designated. A meeting location is to be determined." He also confirmed plans for a direct meeting with Putin in Budapest. "President Putin and I will then meet in an agreed-upon location, Budapest, Hungary, to see if we can bring this 'inglorious' War, between Russia and Ukraine, to an end," Trump stated. Trump added that he would meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to discuss the call and related matters. "President Zelenskyy and I will be meeting tomorrow, in the Oval Office, where we will discuss my conversation with President Putin, and much more. I believe great progress was made with today's telephone conversation," he wrote. The call comes ahead of Trump's scheduled meeting with Zelenskyy at the White House, reflecting ongoing US efforts to restart negotiations with Moscow over the Russia-Ukraine conflict. (ANI)
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