Vladimir Putin vows payback for Ukraine drone attack in call with Donald Trump

In a phone call that lasted more than an hour, the Russian leader told the US president he would respond ‘very strongly’ to Ukraine’s weekend strike.

Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump spoke on the phone for more than an hour. Pictures: AP

Donald Trump says Vladimir Putin told him “very strongly” in a phone call Wednesday that he would respond to Ukraine’s weekend drone attack on Russian airfields.

In a social media post, the US president said there was no “immediate peace” on the horizon in Ukraine — which Russia invaded in 2022.

“President Putin did say, and very strongly, that he will have to respond to the recent attack on the airfields,” he wrote.

The call that lasted for an hour and 15 minutes was Mr Trump’s first known with the Russian leader since May 19.

Mr Trump said Mr Putin had also offered to “participate” in talks on Iran’s nuclear program, as the US President accused the Islamic republic of “slow walking” its response to Washington’s offer of a deal.

The call came three days after Ukraine conducted a massive, daring drone attack against Russian military air bases, saying it had destroyed several Russian nuclear-capable bombers worth billions of dollars.

Mr Trump said that he and Putin had “discussed the attack on Russia’s docked aeroplanes, by Ukraine and also various other attacks that have been taking place by both sides.” “It was a good conversation, but not a conversation that will lead to immediate Peace,” he wrote.

Mr Trump did not say whether he had warned Mr Putin off any such retaliation against Ukraine, which Washington has supported to the tune of billions of dollars in its fight against Russia.

It’s the first time Mr Trump has weighed in on Ukraine’s audacious attack inside Russia. The US did not have advance notice of the operation, according to the White House.

‘Definitive answer’

Mr Trump repeatedly promised to end the war quickly, but he lost patience with Mr Putin in recent weeks, publicly pleading with him to stop fighting and even said late last month that the Russian leader “has gone absolutely CRAZY.”

He has, however, has not committed to backing a bipartisan push to sanction Mr Putin.

The call between Mr Trump and Mr Putin did however show that Washington and Moscow may be eyeing co-operation on another key global issue — Iran.

Mr Trump said he believed they were both “in agreement” that Iran could not have a nuclear weapon, and that time was running out for Tehran to respond to US offers of a deal.

“President Putin suggested that he will participate in the discussions with Iran and that he could, perhaps, be helpful in getting this brought to a rapid conclusion,” Mr Trump said.

The US president added: “It is my opinion that Iran has been slowwalking their decision on this very important matter, and we will need a definitive answer in a very short period of time!”

Mr Putin told his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian that Moscow was ready to help advance talks on a nuclear deal, the Kremlin said on Tuesday.

But Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said earlier that Washington’s proposal was against Tehran’s national interest, amid sharp differences over whether Tehran can continue to enrich uranium

AP, AFP