Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed that Russia store enriched uranium, the biggest sticking point in the U.S.-Iran cease-fire talks.
On the 9th (local time), after the Victory Day parade marking the World War II victory, Putin said at a press conference that "if necessary, Russia can take over and store Iran's enriched uranium."
He said that Iran, the United States, and Israel, all parties to the war, had agreed to ship out the uranium, but "after the United States changed its position and demanded the uranium be shipped to the United States, Iran also returned to a hard-line stance."
He added that Russia also stored Iran's enriched uranium in 2015 and emphasized that it is "ready to repeat the experience of that time."
Putin's remarks also align with recent comments by U.S. President Donald Trump. Trump said late last month that he had received an offer of assistance from Russia regarding the issue of Iran's enriched uranium but rejected it, saying, in effect, "focus on ending the war in Ukraine."
It was not disclosed what specific plan Russia proposed at the time. However, U.S. media noted that the 2015 Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA), concluded under the Barack Obama administration, included shipping Iran's enriched uranium to Russia, and analyzed that a similar approach may have been discussed again.
Meanwhile, regarding the war in Ukraine, Putin said that "the war is nearing its end" and that he is willing to talk directly with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He stressed, however, that the venue must be Moscow.
On ties with China, he said, "I cannot disclose details now, but we are nearing a high-level agreement to make significant progress in cooperation in the oil and gas sector." He added that trade between Russia and China is steadily increasing and diversifying into areas including high-tech industries.