Watch: Putin apologises and leaves event, says it's awkward to keep Trump waiting

Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump spoke over the phone on Thursday, marking their sixth conversation since Trump returned to the White House and the fourth in just six weeks.

Putin had to leave a public event in a hurry to take the call. He was speaking at the "Strong Ideas for a New Time" forum in Moscow when he interrupted his speech, apologised to the audience, and said, "Please, don't be angry. I understand that we could talk more, but it's so awkward to make (Trump) wait, he could get offended."

During the call, the two leaders discussed the Ukraine conflict, tensions in the Middle East, the situation in Iran, and US-Russia relations.

Putin told Trump that Moscow wants a negotiated end to the Ukraine war for peace in Ukraine but will not step back from its original goals. Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said, "Vladimir Putin, for his part, noted that we continue to seek a political and negotiated solution to the conflict."

PUTIN SAYS RUSSIA WILL NOT BACK DOWN

While welcoming talks, Putin told Trump that Russia would not step back from its objectives in Ukraine. Ushakov said, "Our president also said that Russia will achieve the goals it has set: that is, the elimination of the well-known root causes that led to the current state of affairs, to the current acute confrontation, and Russia will not back down from these goals."

According to the Russian government, these "root causes" include preventing Ukraine from joining NATO and avoiding any threat near Russia’s borders. However, Ukraine and Western countries reject this explanation and say the war is more about Russia trying to control Ukraine.

Putin also informed Trump about recent agreements between Russia and Ukraine related to prisoner exchanges and the return of fallen soldiers. He said Russia remains open to further discussions with Ukraine.

FRIENDLY TONE BUT NO MAJOR BREAKTHROUGHS

Ushakov said the leaders were "on the same page" during the call. Putin also congratulated Trump ahead of the US Independence Day on July 4. Trump began the call by talking about his new economic bill. The two leaders also discussed improving trade and even launching a cultural exchange program focused on traditional values through films.

However, some key topics were left out. They did not talk about the US decision to temporarily pause some military aid to Ukraine — a development closely watched by Ukraine’s supporters. A possible face-to-face meeting between the two leaders was also not mentioned, though Ushakov said the idea is still "up in the air."

Iran was another subject discussed during the call. Ushakov noted, "The Russian side emphasised the importance of resolving all disputes, disagreements and conflict situations exclusively by political and diplomatic means." This statement comes after the US launched airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities — an action that Russia strongly criticised.

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