Trump, Putin discuss Ukraine, West Asia tensions over phone

New Delhi, March 10: US President Donald Trump said he had a “very good call” with Russian President Vladimir Putin, during which the two leaders discussed the ongoing Ukraine conflict and tensions in the Middle East.
Speaking on Monday, Trump said the conversation touched on multiple global issues, including the war between Russia and Ukraine.

“I had a very good call with President Putin… We were talking about Ukraine, which is just a never-ending fight,” Trump said. “We obviously talked then about the Middle East and he wants to be helpful. I said, you could be more helpful by getting the Ukraine-Russia war over with. That would be more helpful. But we had a very good talk, and he wants to be very constructive,” he added.

The remarks were carried on the White House’s official YouTube channel.
Earlier in the day, Putin chaired a meeting in Moscow on the global oil and gas market, where he warned that attempts to destabilise West Asia could severely impact the global energy sector.
According to Russia’s Sputnik News agency, Putin said such developments could drive up oil and gas prices and disrupt global supplies.

“Attempts to destabilise the situation in the Middle East would inevitably put the global fuel and energy sector at risk, push up oil and gas prices, restrict supplies of these resources worldwide, and undoubtedly disrupt long-term investment plans,” the Russian leader said.

He noted that around one-third of the world’s seaborne oil exports passed through the Strait of Hormuz in 2025, making the region critical to global energy flows.
Putin also warned that oil production in the Persian Gulf could come to a complete halt within a month if instability worsened, adding that output had already begun to decline.

He said global oil prices had surged by more than 30 per cent over the past week, with prices earlier touching $119 per barrel before easing to around $107, though volatility remained high.
Global gas prices were also rising faster than oil, he added.

Putin also said Russia will keep supplying energy to ‘reliable partners’ in the Asia-Pacific region and the Eastern European states of Slovakia and Hungary.
He added that Russia would cooperate with European countries on oil and gas supplies if they are willing to guarantee stable conditions.