The Kremlin Tried To Explain Why Trump Hadn't Called Putin For A Long Time

• 10.10.2026, 8:08

The conversation had apparently been in the works for several days.

The conversation between Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump, which took place on October 9, had been in the works for several days as the two sides sought a window in their schedules.

This was reported by Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov, according to Dialog.UA.

According to Ushakov, on October 7 he spoke by phone with U.S. President’s Special Representative Steve Whitcoff, who conveyed Trump’s birthday wishes to Putin. Whitcoff reportedly said that Trump wanted to congratulate Putin personally over the phone. Since then, the two sides have been preparing for their phone call.

Ushakov claims that Trump rescheduled some of his engagements to make time for the phone call with Putin. During the call, Trump “warmly” congratulated the Russian leader on his birthday and wished him success and well-being.

According to Ushakov, Trump and Putin spoke for an hour and a half on October 9—longer than their previous conversation. In October, their conversation lasted only one hour. Previously, Trump and Putin had spoken on the phone for much longer. For example, last year their conversation lasted about 2.5 hours.