President Donald Trump spoke to reporters while participating in a group meeting with the Artemis II crew on April 29, 2026, addressing his recent conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin and discussing ongoing tensions involving Iran and Ukraine. The remarks focused on Putin’s potential role in international negotiations, U.S. military actions targeting Iran, and Trump’s assertion that Iran will not be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon.
During the exchange, a reporter asked, “What involvement does he want to have in the Iran situation?” Trump responded by describing a discussion with Putin about possible cooperation, stating:
“He told me he’d like to be involved with the enrichment if he can help us get it. I said I’d much rather have you be involved with ending the war with Ukraine. To me that would be more important because we’re going to have that. Look, we’re not going to let Iran have a nuclear weapon. And we’ve knocked out their navy. We’ve knocked out their air force. We’ve knocked out their anti-aircraft. everything, apparatus, everything. They have their radar. They have very little left. And they have some missiles, a small percentage. They have a small percentage of missile making facilities. We knocked out about 80% of them. The rest could come very quickly if we don’t make a deal. They’re not going to have a nuclear weapon. They know it and just about everybody else does. And so we talked about that a little bit. He doesn’t want to see them have a nuclear weapon either. But I had a long talk with President Putin. I suggested a little bit of a ceasefire and I think he might do that. He might announce something having to do with that.”
Trump’s comments framed Putin as expressing interest in engaging on Iran-related discussions, while Trump emphasized that his preference was for Moscow to focus on Ukraine instead. He reiterated that preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon remains a central objective, while also describing extensive damage he attributed to prior U.S. and partner military operations against Iranian military capabilities.
In his remarks, Trump said Putin shares opposition to Iran obtaining nuclear weapons, adding that their conversation included broader geopolitical issues. He indicated that he had raised the possibility of a limited ceasefire in the Ukraine conflict and suggested that Putin “might announce something” related to that proposal, though no formal commitment was confirmed during the exchange.
The discussion comes amid ongoing U.S. military activity in the region, Operation Epic Fury, a Central Command-led campaign launched earlier in 2026 that has targeted Iranian military infrastructure, air defense systems, and command centers. U.S. officials have described the operation as aimed at dismantling threats deemed imminent, while reporting from the administration has highlighted extensive strikes and counter-drone defenses across multiple domains.
Trump’s remarks underscored the administration’s dual focus on Iran and Ukraine, portraying both as interconnected security challenges. He reiterated that Iran would not be permitted to develop nuclear weapons under any circumstances, while also signaling openness to potential diplomatic movement from Russia on Ukraine through a possible ceasefire framework discussed with Putin.