Russia and Putin · Second term · № 131
Thanked Putin at the G7 for being 'very neutral' in the Iran war despite reports of Russian help to Tehran
“And I want to thank Vladimir Putin. He was very neutral. They could have made it much more difficult for us. And I want to say it.”
- Said
- , News conference at the G7 summit, Évian-les-Bains, France
- Subject
- Thanks to Putin at the G7
- Type
- Praise and deference
- Topic
- Foreign policy
- Era
- Second term
What happened
Closing the G7 summit in Évian, he thanked Xi Jinping and Putin for staying 'neutral' during the U.S. war with Iran, saying Russia 'could have made it much more difficult for us.' The Kyiv Independent noted this contradicted multiple reports, including a statement by the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, that Russia had been aiding Iran with intelligence and weapons. He spent under two minutes on Ukraine, describing a June 14 call with Putin and a 'very, very good conversation' with Zelensky, and said 'they both want to do something. They just don't know how to do it.' A planned second meeting with Zelensky at the summit did not take place. Asked the same day whether sanctions on Russia would be reimposed, he said 'we are looking at that' and tied it to the price of oil.