President Vladimir Putin told U.S. President Donald Trump that he was prepared use the partnership between Russia and Iran to contribute to a settlement of the negotiations over Iran's nuclear programme, the Kremlin said on Thursday.
"We have a close partnership with Tehran. And President Putin said that he was ready to use this partnership to help resolve the Iranian nuclear issue," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, after US President Donald Trump said following a phone call that Putin had offered to "participate" in talks.
Trump said after a phone call with Putin on Wednesday that time was running out for Iran to make a decision on its nuclear programme and that he believed Putin agreed that the Islamic Republic should not have nuclear weapons.
Putin, according to Trump, suggested that he participate in the discussions with Iran and that "he could, perhaps, be helpful in getting this brought to a rapid conclusion", though Iran was "slowwalking".
Asked when Putin could join the negotiations, Peskov said that dialogue with Tehran and Washington continued through various channels.
"The president will be able to get involved when necessary," Peskov said.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday that abandoning uranium enrichment was "100%" against the country's interests, rejecting a central U.S. demand in talks to resolve a decades-long dispute over Tehran's nuclear ambitions.
The U.S. proposal for a new nuclear deal was presented to Iran on Saturday by Oman, which has mediated talks between Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff.
After five rounds of talks, several hard-to-bridge issues remain, including Iran's insistence on maintaining uranium enrichment on its soil and Tehran's refusal to ship abroad its entire existing stockpile of highly enriched uranium - possible raw material for nuclear bombs.
Khamenei, who has the final say on all matters of state, said nothing about halting the talks, but said the U.S. proposal "contradicts our nation's belief in self-reliance and the principle of 'We Can'".
Russia will respond to Ukraine's latest attacks as and when its military sees fit, the Kremlin said on Thursday, confirming that President Vladimir Putin had told U.S. President Donald Trump that Moscow was obliged to retaliate.
Ukraine used drones to strike Russian heavy bomber planes at air bases in Siberia and the far north at the weekend, and Russia also accused it of blowing up rail bridges in the south of the country, killing seven people. Ukraine has not acknowledged responsibility for the bridge attacks, which Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called state terrorism.
Peskov said Putin and Trump did not discuss holding a face-to-face meeting when they spoke on Wednesday. He said there was a general understanding that such a meeting was necessary, but it had to be properly prepared.
The two did not discuss the possible lifting of sanctions against Russia, Peskov said in reply to a question.
