President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed retaliation for Ukraine's surprise drone strike on Russian airfields over the weekend, warning of further escalation as U.S.-led efforts to broker peace in the nearly four-year-old war face renewed setbacks.
In a 75-minute phone call, the second in recent weeks, Trump and Putin discussed the Ukrainian assault, which reportedly damaged or destroyed over 40 Russian military aircraft. "President Putin did say, and very strongly, that he will have to respond to the recent attack on the airfields," Trump wrote on Truth Social.
The Ukrainian attack, captured in aerial footage released by Ukraine's SBU security agency, showed drones striking long-range bombers across multiple Russian airfields. The precision assault damaged strategic aircraft that Moscow has used in its ongoing campaign of missile strikes on Ukrainian cities.
Trump acknowledged the gravity of the moment but downplayed the likelihood of any immediate breakthrough. "It was a good conversation, but not a conversation that will lead to immediate Peace," he said. Despite taking credit for facilitating recent direct peace talks between Ukrainian and Russian officials in Istanbul, Trump has not detailed any specific framework to end the war.
The Kremlin confirmed the phone call on Wednesday, with state media citing spokesman Dmitry Peskov. Putin had earlier chaired a national security meeting in Moscow, where he reiterated that recent attacks "put in doubt" the viability of a ceasefire or leader-level summit.
Trump's post made no mention of urging Putin to refrain from retaliatory measures or to show restraint. He also did not reference any additional U.S. sanctions, despite mounting pressure from congressional leaders.
Ukrainian officials have not commented on whether Washington was informed in advance of the drone strikes. However, Kyiv has openly mocked Russia's characterization of the attack as terrorism, pointing to Moscow's years of indiscriminate bombardments of civilian infrastructure.
During the call, Trump said he also raised concerns over Iran's nuclear ambitions. "We also discussed Iran, and the fact that time is running out on Iran's decision pertaining to nuclear weapons, which must be made quickly!" he posted.
Trump added that Putin expressed willingness to help accelerate negotiations with Tehran. "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."
Despite claiming personal rapport with Putin, Trump has recently toughened his rhetoric. Last week, he described the Russian leader as having "gone absolutely CRAZY." At the same time, his administration's posture toward Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has shifted, with officials increasingly critical of Kyiv's war strategy and demands for continued military aid.
