Overview

• During a June 14 phone call, Trump said he had asked Putin to “do me a favour” and focus on mediating Russia’s war in Ukraine before brokering peace between Iran and Israel.
• Speaking to reporters outside the White House, Trump repeated his claim that Russia’s full-scale invasion “would never have happened” under his presidency.
• He warned that official figures understate casualties in the war, asserting that “far more people are dead than have been reported” on both sides.
• From St. Petersburg, Putin responded by calling Trump a businessman who “calculates well” and noted that Iran had not requested Russian mediation in its conflict with Israel.
• The public exchange underscores intensifying US-Russia diplomatic maneuvering as global leaders press for a ceasefire after nearly three years of fighting in Ukraine.