By Jeff Mason WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Despite evidence that the conflict between Israel and Iran is escalating, U.S. President Donald Trump expressed optimism on Sunday that peace would come soon and cited the possibility that Russia's Vladimir Putin could help.

Russian President Vladimir Putin held a phone call with US President Donald Trump, the Russian state news agency TASS informs. Putin's aide Yuri Ushakov said the conversation lasted 50 minutes and was "useful.

Trump has generally veered away from overtly criticizing Putin while openly berating Ukraine's leader Volodymyr Zelensky, but has repeatedly condemned Russia's lethal airstrikes and floated that the Kremlin could be "tapping us along."

US President Donald Trump on Saturday (local time) revealed that he received a call from Russian President Vladimir Putin on his 79th birthday and and talked about the war between Israel and Iran, which both leaders agreed "should end.

A FTER WEEKS of nebulous ceasefire talks at the urging of a semi-engaged President Donald Trump, the war between Russia and Ukraine is intensifying again in savage style and with fast-rising stakes. In the past two weeks there have been record-breaking Russian missile strikes on Ukrainian cities and spectacular Ukrainian drone raids on Russia’s strategic-bomber force,

Russian leader has set his five demands to end the invasion, and at the top of the list is a demand of military alliance

The Russian leader briefed Trump on his recent talks with officials in Iran and Israel, and reiterated Moscow's proposal to seek mutual solutions on the Iranian nuclear issue.

Ukrainian forces were gradually pushing Russian forces out of the border Sumy region, where Moscow was able to establish a foothold in recent weeks, president Volodymyr Zelensky said.“Our units in Sumy region are gradually pushing back the occupiers,