Putin’s twin moves stun world; Trump torn, Iran set for nuclear shift

In a surprising turn of events, Russian President Vladimir Putin has taken two significant steps that could reshape the geopolitical landscape. First, he agreed to hold peace talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine. Simultaneously, he held an unannounced meeting with Ali Larijani, a top nuclear advisor to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, to discuss Tehran’s nuclear program.

According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, the meeting with Larijani took place on Sunday and focused on the worsening situation in the Middle East and developments around Iran’s nuclear ambitions. Larijani reportedly presented Tehran’s assessment of the current regional tensions to Putin.

Meanwhile, in another development, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has proposed resuming peace talks with Russia next week. In a national address, Zelensky said that Ukraine is ready for new discussions and has already communicated the offer to Russia via Rustem Umerov, who previously led the Ukrainian delegation in earlier negotiations.

Zelensky emphasized the need to accelerate the pace of talks, stating that all efforts must focus on achieving a ceasefire.

However, diplomatic tensions escalated further after Russia dismissed a 50-day ultimatum from U.S. President Donald Trump, which demanded a ceasefire in Ukraine under threat of severe tariffs. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov stated that Moscow remains committed to diplomacy but rejected the imposed timeline and external pressure.

These simultaneous developments underscore Russia’s complex positioning — reaching toward diplomacy in Ukraine while strengthening ties with Iran amidst growing global uncertainty.