Aide to the President Yury Ushakov: I would like to begin with some brief background and give you a glimpse behind the scenes of how the telephone conversation between the Presidents of Russia and the United States was arranged.
On the afternoon of October 7, we spoke by telephone with Special Envoy of the US President Steve Witkoff. He asked us to convey warm greetings and best wishes from US President Donald Trump to President Vladimir Putin. Steve Witkoff also asked us to pass on his own warmest wishes, as well as those of Jared Kushner, to our President, for whom he has sincere respect and whom he hopes to meet again soon.
Steve Witkoff also mentioned that the US President wished to congratulate Vladimir Putin personally by telephone. We therefore set about finding a suitable time in both presidents’ schedules, taking into account, of course, the time difference between Moscow and Washington, as well as the fact that the Russian President was due to depart for Turkmenistan on the morning of October 8 to attend the CIS summit. Ultimately, we agreed that the best option would be to arrange the conversation immediately after our President returned from that trip.
President Trump rearranged some of his previously scheduled engagements for the day, and the telephone conversation took place late in the evening on October 9.
Naturally, Donald Trump began by extending warm birthday greetings to Vladimir Putin, wishing him success and wellbeing in an informal manner. He also conveyed greetings from his wife, Melania.
Vladimir Putin thanked his American counterpart for his wishes and kind words, stressing that we appreciate the attention the US President and his team devote to maintaining dialogue with Russia, despite their busy agenda involving domestic US affairs and developments in the Middle East.
As for the substance of the conversation, I am afraid I cannot fully satisfy your curiosity, colleagues, by revealing all the details of the specific issues discussed by the two presidents.
One noteworthy aspect of the conversation, however, which I would like to mention, was that our President expressed his gratitude to the US First Lady for her active humanitarian efforts, particularly her contribution to reuniting children with their families after they had been separated during the conflict in Ukraine.
As for the expressed concern dealing with the humanitarian situation in Alyoshki, Kherson Region, an agreement was reached that Human Rights Commissioner Yana Lantratova will be in constant contact with Melania Trump’s office.
The leaders of the two countries thoroughly discussed the preparation of large‑scale economic initiatives, including possible supplies of Russian oil products to the US and global markets. Incidentally, Presidents of Russia and the United States have already made special statements on this matter. The officials also expressed satisfaction with communication channels operating between the countries through administrations, special services, and other relevant agencies.
Naturally, considerable attention was paid to the prospects of the Ukrainian conflict resolution.
Vladimir Putin provided a detailed account of the measures taken by Russia in response to terrorist attacks carried out by the Kiev regime, which has opted for escalation and extension of the conflict by any means. The President emphasised that Kiev’s attempt to halt the advance of Russian troops along the entire line of contact by launching strikes deep into our territory are absolutely futile. Our Armed Forces fully hold the initiative and are advancing confidently.
Yet, Vladimir Putin made it clear that our position regarding the goals and objectives of the special military operation remains unchanged, as does our readiness for a political and diplomatic settlement aimed at achieving a lasting sustainable peace.
It was specifically noted the situation had changed following the previous conversation between the presidents when the officials discussed the possibility of resuming trilateral negotiations involving the United States and Ukraine immediately following the elections to the State Duma. Through its attempts to disrupt our elections — a massive drone strike on Moscow, other cities, and polling stations, as well as specific people involved in arranging elections, on the main voting day — the Kiev regime has, in essence, disrupted the possibility of immediately resuming the negotiation process. And now, as the President said, we will consider when these negotiations can be resumed.
Donald Trump listened attentively to our arguments and said he would instruct that the relevant signals be conveyed to the Ukrainian delegation, which is currently in Miami for contacts with US representatives.
Vladimir Putin highlighted that the possibilities for diplomacy in the Iranian direction are far from exhausted. Agreement with Tehran can and must be reached.
The President mentioned that yesterday he had a detailed discussion of the current situation with the President of Iran, [Masoud] Pezeshkian in Turkmenistan. He noted that, despite periodic public harsh statements, the Americans continue their indirect dialogue with Iranians involving Qatar. Incidentally, our proposal to transport highly enriched Iranian uranium to Russia as a possible way out of the deadlock remains in effect.
It should be noted that Donald Trump did not ignore this remark, welcoming Moscow’s involvement in resolving the situation surrounding Iran.
Perhaps, it is worth noting another detail from the conversation: when the U.S. President was talking about sports, he acknowledged Alexander Ovechkin’s contributions to world hockey.
The highly fruitful, I would say, friendly conversation between the Presidents lasted an hour and a half. No one wanted to hang up first. And given that, I hope the President of the United States will not be offended if I quote him as saying that he is ready to continue communicating with Vladimir Putin this evening, at night, and on the next day.
I believe I will stop here. Thank you for attention.
Question: Who ended the call in the end, if neither of them wanted to?
Yury Ushakov: They ended the call at the same time – simultaneously.
I quoted President Trump’s words. It seems to me that they carry significant weight. That is the first point. The second is that they reveal the nature of the communication between the two Presidents.
Question: Can you confirm what President Trump said about the volume of diesel fuel that will be supplied to the United States? President Trump published a post on Truth Social setting out a delivery schedule. He said that 300,000 tonnes of diesel fuel would be delivered immediately, followed by a further 500,000 tonnes…
Yury Ushakov: You know, I read that statement and mentioned it when I was outlining the course of this conversation. What else can I say? A special statement on this matter was made by the President of Russia; it has already been disseminated across all media outlets. In addition, representatives of our Ministry of Energy have also made a statement.
Question: When might a bilateral meeting between the two Presidents take place?
Yury Ushakov: This question was not specifically discussed. But we all know that an important international event is coming up in China – the APEC summit. And regarding this event, at least for the time being, it can be said that the leaders of both countries – both Russian and American – are interested in taking part. Accordingly, if both leaders are at the same international venue, I assume they will find an opportunity to cross paths, shake hands and talk.
Question: Can you say whether the United States made any concessions to Russia, and what Russia agreed to in return for supplying diesel fuel to the United States?
Yury Ushakov: You know, I think the American side will provide certain additional clarifications on this matter. I have told you what I meant to say. Prior to my remarks, our President clearly expressed what needed to be said in his special statement.