Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that proposed Russian oil and petroleum product supplies to the United States and global markets would have a positive impact on the global economy. His remarks followed a telephone conversation with US President Donald Trump on Friday, October 9, during which the two leaders discussed energy supplies, the Ukraine conflict and the situation in Iran, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry.
“In discussing the global energy situation, Russia reaffirmed its readiness to supply oil and petroleum products to the US and global markets. I am confident that this will have a positive impact on the entire global economy,” Putin said.
According to Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov, the conversation also covered preparations for major economic initiatives, including the possible supply of Russian petroleum products to the United States and international markets.
Trump-Putin Call Covers Oil Supplies and Birthday Greetings
Ushakov said Trump wanted to personally congratulate Putin on his birthday. Arrangements for the conversation began after Ushakov spoke with US Presidential Special Envoy Steve Witkoff on October 7.
“The telephone conversation took place late in the evening on October 9,” Ushakov said.
Trump wished Putin a happy birthday and offered his best wishes for success and well-being. He also conveyed greetings from his wife, US First Lady Melania Trump, Ushakov added.
Putin thanked Trump for the congratulations and kind words, saying Moscow valued the attention the US President and his team continued to give to dialogue with Russia despite their busy domestic and Middle Eastern schedules.
Ushakov also highlighted Putin’s gratitude to Melania Trump for her humanitarian work, particularly her contribution to efforts to reunite children with their families after they were separated during the Ukraine conflict.
Regarding the humanitarian situation in Alyoshki in the Kherson Region, Ushakov said it was agreed that Russian Human Rights Commissioner Yana Lantratova would remain in regular contact with Melania Trump’s office.
Putin Says Russian Forces Hold Initiative in Ukraine
The Ukraine conflict was another key subject of the conversation. According to Ushakov, Putin maintained that Ukraine’s attempts to halt the advance of Russian troops through strikes deep inside Russian territory had no prospect of success.
“It was stressed that Kiev’s attempts to halt the advance of Russian troops along the entire line of contact by striking deep inside our country have no prospect of success,” Ushakov said.
He added that Putin’s position was that Russian armed forces held the initiative across the front and were continuing to advance. These remarks reflect the Russian leadership’s assessment of the battlefield situation.
Ushakov said Putin’s position on the goals of Russia’s military operation remained unchanged. At the same time, Moscow continued to express readiness for a political and diplomatic settlement aimed at achieving what it described as a lasting and sustainable peace.
The Russian presidential aide also said the leaders had previously discussed the possibility of resuming trilateral talks involving the United States and Ukraine after the State Duma elections.
However, Ushakov claimed that Ukrainian drone strikes targeting Moscow, other cities and polling stations on the main voting day had prevented an immediate resumption of negotiations.
“As the President said, we will now consider when these talks can resume,” Ushakov said.
He added that Trump would instruct his team to convey the relevant messages to the Ukrainian delegation, which was in Miami for discussions with American representatives.
Putin Says Diplomacy With Iran Remains Possible
The two leaders also discussed Iran, with Putin stressing that diplomatic options remained available to resolve the situation.
Ushakov said Putin had discussed the issue in detail with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in Turkmenistan on Thursday.
“Vladimir Putin particularly stressed that the scope for diplomacy on Iran is far from exhausted. An agreement with Tehran is both possible and necessary,” Ushakov said.
He added that Putin had noted that the United States continued indirect dialogue with Iran through Qatar despite occasional strong public statements.
According to Ushakov, Trump acknowledged the point and welcomed Moscow’s involvement in efforts to resolve the situation surrounding Iran.
Ushakov described the exchange between the two presidents as a “substantive, friendly conversation” lasting around an hour and a half.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said the leaders also reaffirmed their commitment to maintaining direct contact, alongside continued cooperation between their presidential administrations, intelligence services and other agencies.
Trump Hails Russian Diesel Supplies, Announces Proposed Volumes
Meanwhile, Trump on Friday described the proposed diesel deal with Russia as a “big deal” and thanked Putin for agreeing to supply what he called massive amounts of diesel to the United States.
“I think you heard about the oil deal with Russia. That is a big deal. That is massive amounts of oil coming into our country. I want to thank President Putin. We have massive amounts of oil coming into our country, and it is diesel, which is what we want,” Trump told reporters outside the White House before departing for Syracuse, New York, for the midterm election campaign.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said Russia would immediately supply more than 300,000 tonnes of diesel fuel, followed by another 500,000 tonnes in November and 1 million tonnes immediately thereafter. He said a further 3 million tonnes would follow within a short period, depending on the condition of Russia’s diesel refineries.
Trump argued that the proposed supplies, along with what he described as US control of the Strait of Hormuz, would help lower diesel prices for Americans and consumers across the world.
“Between our TOTAL CONTROL of the Strait of Hormuz, and this great announcement on Russian Energy, Diesel Prices for Americans and, indeed, the World, will be COMING DOWN, IN RECORD NUMBERS, AND FAST!” Trump said.
He described reducing prices for Americans, particularly farmers, ranchers and truckers, as his “Greatest Priority”. Trump also reiterated that Iran would not be allowed to possess a nuclear weapon.
Zelenskyy Opposes Easing Sanctions Without Lasting De-escalation
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy criticised any easing of sanctions against Russia without a clear and lasting de-escalation agreement.
Zelenskyy described such a move as an “obvious weakness” and warned that it could allow Moscow to prolong the war.
The contrasting positions highlight the diplomatic challenges surrounding proposed Russian energy supplies to the United States, efforts to restart Ukraine peace talks and continuing tensions over Iran.