MOSCOW, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin held a phone conversation with U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday evening, Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said.
"President Trump called President Putin to discuss a number of critically important topics related to current developments in the international situation," Ushakov told the media following the phone conversation.
He said the conversation focused on the Iran conflict and the trilateral negotiations on a Ukraine settlement.
He described the conversation as "businesslike, frank and constructive."
Trump reiterated his interest in seeing the Ukraine conflict end quickly with a ceasefire to achieve a long-term settlement, Ushakov said.
The two presidents have not spoken by phone for a long time and agreed to communicate with each other on a regular basis, he added.
Putin expressed a number of considerations aimed at the earliest political and diplomatic settlement of the Iran conflict, including taking stock of the contacts held with the leaders of the Persian Gulf countries, Iran's president, and the leaders of other countries.
The U.S. president provided his assessment of the evolving situation in the context of the ongoing U.S.-Israeli operation.
Ushakov said Trump once again expressed his interest in seeing the conflict in Ukraine end with the earliest possible establishment of a ceasefire to achieve a long-term settlement.
Putin provided an account of the current developments on combat contact, where Russian troops are advancing very successfully. "This is a factor that should encourage Kiev to finally embark on the path of a negotiated settlement of the conflict," Ushakov noted.
The presidents also discussed the issue of Venezuela, primarily in the context of the current state of the global oil market.
"Overall, I repeat that the conversation was very substantive and will undoubtedly be of practical importance for the further cooperation between the two countries in various areas of international policy," the presidential aide added.
Ushakov said that the previous phone call between Putin and Trump was in late December 2025. ■