Trump to Putin: End Ukraine War Before Iran Help
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- Trump told Putin in a Wednesday phone call that Russia must end its war in Ukraine before helping on Iran, responding to Putin's offer to take roughly 1,000 pounds of enriched uranium from Iran: "before you help, we want to end your war."
- Putin proposed a ceasefire during Russia's May 9 Victory Day celebrations, according to his aide Yury Ushakov, having previously agreed to a 32-hour Orthodox Easter ceasefire in April that both Moscow and Kyiv accused each other of violating.
- Russia had recently discussed with IAEA head Rafael Grossi the possibility of physically removing Iran's highly enriched uranium from the country, per the Associated Press.
- Trump said he views the U.S. war against Iran and Russia's war against Ukraine on similar timelines, and The Wall Street Journal reported he wants to maintain the U.S. blockade of Iranian oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz while Iran threatens to attack uncoordinated ships.
- Trump on Iran: "They have to cry uncle...Just say, 'We give up. We give up.' But their economy is really in trouble," with escalating gas prices putting pressure on him in a midterm year where GOP House and Senate majorities are on the line.
- Ukraine's presidential office said the details of Trump's and Putin's remarks must be clarified before Kyiv responds.
Why it matters: By tying Ukraine progress to any Russian role on Iran's nuclear program, Trump blocks Moscow from positioning itself as a nuclear peacemaker while still fighting a war — and he pairs that with a maintained Strait of Hormuz blockade aimed at forcing Iran's economy to collapse, all under midterm gas-price pressure.
