Trump and Putin hold call, discuss Iran-Israel tensions, Ukraine war

Washington –  President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a 50-minute phone call Saturday to discuss the escalating situation in the Middle East and Ukraine peace talks, the White House and Kremlin confirmed. 

In a statement released by the White House, Mr. Trump said Putin called him on Saturday to "wish me a Happy Birthday, but to more importantly, talk about Iran, a country he knows very well."

"We talked at length. Much less time was spent talking about Russia/Ukraine, but that will be for next week," Mr. Trump said, adding that the call lasted "approximately 1 hour." "He feels, as I do, this war in Israel-Iran should end, to which I explained, his war should also end."