By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
WASHINGTON/MOSCOW (Worthy News) – Russian President Vladimir Putin agrees with the United States that Iran should not get weapons that could destroy Israel, despite Moscow’s military cooperation with Tehran, the White House suggested Tuesday.
The issue arose during the two-and-a-half-hour call between Putin and U.S. President Donald J. Trump, which, in addition to the war in Ukraine, also focused “broadly about the Middle East” to “prevent future conflicts,” the White House said.
“They further discussed the need to stop the proliferation of strategic weapons and will engage with others to ensure the broadest possible application. The two leaders shared the view that Iran should never be in a position to destroy Israel”, according to a readout of their conversation.
The Kremlin did not mention Israel explicitly in its statement about the Putin-Trump call but stressed that Washington and Moscow would cooperate to “stabilize the situation in crisis areas” of the Middle East and to “establish cooperation on nuclear non-proliferation and global security.”
Trump has previously said that “Iran will never be allowed to have a nuclear weapon. He has imposed a policy of “maximum pressure” on the Islamic Republic as part of an effort to prevent it from acquiring one. Tehran has made clear it seeks the destruction of Israel and supports several groups targeting the Jewish nation, such as Hamas, Hezbollah, Houthis, and others,
The increasing cooperation between Russia, China, and Iran and their call to end sanctions implemented against Tehran over its nuclear capabilities has raised concern in Washington and Israel.
Tehran maintains its nuclear program “is for peaceful purposes,” but experts point out that Iran has been enriching uranium to near weapons-grade level, nearly enough for an atomic weapon.
FINAL MOMENTS
Trump warned this month that the United States was “down to the final moments” with Iran and there would be “interesting days ahead” for the two countries.
Besides discussing Iran, Moscow and Washington agreed on a temporary ceasefire that would end attacks targeting Ukraine’s energy facilities and infrastructure for a month.
Putin, who has also used Iranian drones in his ongoing invasion of Ukraine, claimed he ordered the Russian military to halt attacks on such facilities “immediately.”
However, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told reporters he had “skepticism” about the proposal but signaled openness to implementing it.
In response to relentless Russian strikes, Ukraine carried out strikes on Russian oil, gas, and fuel infrastructure as recently as Monday, potentially undermining a crucial industry for Moscow.
The sale of energy has been critical to the Russian economy since it launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, according to observers.
The war in Ukraine is believed to have killed and injured some 1 million people.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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