Putin says Russia has shared peace proposals with Israel and Iran

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (AP) — President Vladimir Putin said Friday he has secured Israel's pledge to safeguard Russian personnel at Iran's Russia-built nuclear power plant and that he has reached out to both sides to try to end the week-old war.

Answering questions on a variety of issues at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Putin also warned Ukraine that it could lose more territory if it keeps rejecting Russia’s conditions for peace.

Putin said Russia has proposed "some ideas” for a possible settlement between Iran and Israel that are currently being discussed.

He said Moscow asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to ensure the security of Russian personnel who are working to construct two more reactors at the nuclear power plant in Iran’s port of Bushehr and that he also raised the issue with U.S. President Donald Trump.

“Prime Minister Netanyahu has agreed with that, and President Trump has promised to support our legitimate demands,” Putin said.

But he strongly rejected allegations that Moscow has failed to back its ally, Tehran, saying the Kremlin has maintained good ties with both Iran and Israel. He noted that Israel is home to nearly 2 million people from Russia and other former Soviet nations, “a factor that we always have taken into account."

At the same time, Putin said, Russia has always met its obligations to Iran, adding that Moscow has firmly backed Tehran's right for the peaceful use of nuclear energy.

He voiced concern about the spiraling conflict, saying we “are strongly worried about what's going on around the Iranian nuclear facilities and possible consequences.”

Asked about Moscow's goals in Ukraine, Putin said the Russian military is moving to extend a buffer zone in Ukraine's Sumy region following a Ukrainian incursion last year into Russia's neighboring Kursk region.

“We have to create a security zone along the border,” Putin said, adding that the Russian troops have forged about 10 kilometers (about 6 miles) deep into the Sumy region and are approaching its capital of the same name, a city of about 270,000 people.

“They are creating a threat to us, constantly shelling the areas along the border,” he added. “We don't have a goal to capture Sumy, but I don't exclude it in principle.”

Putin reaffirmed his long-held claim that Russians and Ukrainians are “one people,” declaring that in “that sense, all of Ukraine is ours.” But he also said Russia is ready to recognize Ukrainian sovereignty while emphasizing that Kyiv must accept the “realities” of Moscow's territorial gains and abandon its bid to join NATO as part of possible deal.

“We aren't seeking Ukraine's surrender, we want them to recognize the realities on the ground,” he said, adding that Moscow has repeatedly warned Ukraine that it would better make a deal.

“The logic of military action could only exacerbate your situation, and you will have to conduct talks from different positions that will be worse for you,” Putin said, addressing Ukraine. “There is an old rule: Wherever a Russian soldier puts his foot, that belongs to us.”

Asked by the session's moderator whether he is concerned by allegations that Ukrainian authorities could order the use of a “dirty bomb” of radioactive material against Russia, Putin said such an action would be “their last mistake" that would trigger a “mirror” response from Russia in line with its nuclear doctrine.

“Our response would be very tough and, most likely, catastrophic" for both the government and the country, he said. “I hope it will never come to that.”

Putin added that while Russia doesn't have information that Ukraine could mount such an attack, “we assume that some people may develop such ideas in their sick imagination.”

Putin hailed Russia's economic outlook, saying it has managed to curb inflation and ease its reliance on energy exports.

His optimistic account contrasted with somber statements by some members of his government who warned at the same conference that Russia could face a recession. Economic Minister Maxim Reshetnikov said Thursday the country is “on the brink of going into a recession.”

Putin mentioned the recession warnings, but emphasized that “it mustn't be allowed.” He pointed out that manufacturing industries have posted steady growth, allowing the country to reduce its reliance on oil and gas exports.

“The perception of Russian economy as based on raw materials and dependent on hydrocarbons exports have clearly become outdated,” Putin said, adding that the economy grew by 1.5% in the first four months of 2025 and inflation has dropped from double digits to 9.6%.

Putin has used the annual forum to highlight Russia’s economic prowess and encourage foreign investment, but Western executives have shunned it after Moscow sent troops into Ukraine in 2022, leaving it to business leaders from Asia, Africa and Latin America.

The economy, hit with a slew of Western sanctions, has so far outperformed predictions. High defense spending has propelled growth and kept unemployment low despite fueling inflation.

Large recruiting bonuses for military enlistees and death benefits for those killed in Ukraine also have put more income into the country’s poorer regions. But over the long term, inflation and a lack of foreign investments pose threats to the economy.

Economists have warned of mounting pressure on the economy and the likelihood it would stagnate due to lack of investment in sectors other than the military.

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a plenary session of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in St. Petersburg, Russia, on Friday, June 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)

A participants makes a selfie with the Humanoid robot Volodya as other walk past a broadcast of the Russian President Vladimir Putin's speech on a TV screen during a plenary session of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in St. Petersburg, Russia, on Friday, June 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks at a plenary session of the St. Petersburg International Econimic Forum in St. Petersburg, Russia, Friday, June 20, 2025. (Gavriil Grigorov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

In this photo released by the Roscongress Foundation, Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a plenary session of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in St. Petersburg, Russia, Friday, June 20, 2025. (Sergey Shinov/Roscongress Foundation via AP)

In this photo released by the Roscongress Foundation, Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks at a plenary session of the St. Petersburg International Econimic Forum in St. Petersburg, Russia, Friday, June 20, 2025. (Vyacheslav Viktorov/ Roscongress Foundation via AP)

Participants watch a broadcast of Russian President Vladimir Putin's speech on a TV screen during a plenary session of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in St. Petersburg, Russia, Friday, June 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President Donald Trump on Sunday fired off another warning to the government of Cuba as the close ally of Venezuela braces for potential widespread unrest after Nicolás Maduro was deposed as Venezuela's leader.

Cuba, a major beneficiary of Venezuelan oil, has now been cut off from those shipments as U.S. forces continue to seize tankers in an effort to control the production, refining and global distribution of the country's oil products.

Trump said on social media that Cuba long lived off Venezuelan oil and money and had offered security in return, “BUT NOT ANYMORE!”

“THERE WILL BE NO MORE OIL OR MONEY GOING TO CUBA - ZERO!” Trump said in the post as he spent the weekend at his home in southern Florida. “I strongly suggest they make a deal, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE.” He did not explain what kind of deal.

The Cuban government said 32 of its military personnel were killed during the American operation last weekend that captured Maduro. The personnel from Cuba’s two main security agencies were in Caracas, the Venezuelan capital, as part of an agreement between Cuba and Venezuela.

“Venezuela doesn’t need protection anymore from the thugs and extortionists who held them hostage for so many years,” Trump said Sunday. “Venezuela now has the United States of America, the most powerful military in the World (by far!), to protect them, and protect them we will.”

Trump also responded to another account’s social media post predicting that his secretary of state, Marco Rubio, will be president of Cuba: “Sounds good to me!” Trump said.

Trump and top administration officials have taken an increasingly aggressive tone toward Cuba, which had been kept economically afloat by Venezuela. Long before Maduro's capture, severe blackouts were sidelining life in Cuba, where people endured long lines at gas stations and supermarkets amid the island’s worst economic crisis in decades.

Trump has said previously that the Cuban economy, battered by years of a U.S. embargo, would slide further with the ouster of Maduro.

“It’s going down,” Trump said of Cuba. “It’s going down for the count.”

A person watches the oil tanker Ocean Mariner, Monrovia, arrive to the bay in Havana, Cuba, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

President Donald Trump attends a meeting with oil executives in the East Room of the White House, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)