TOKYO, March 11. /TASS/. The phone call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump on March 9 shows that the two sides are on good enough terms to maintain a constructive dialogue that can help quell conflicts, Kazuhiro Kumo, a professor at Hitotsubashi University, told TASS.

"Dialogue is necessary even between opposing countries, or perhaps precisely because there is a confrontation. If there is no platform for ‘negotiations,’ all that remains is pointless interaction in the form of ‘fighting.’ Precisely because the situation is so serious, maintaining a direct line of communication between President Putin and President Trump can be considered extremely important to prevent escalation," he noted.

Hironori Fushita, an associate professor at Kobe University of Foreign Studies, noted that, according to an official statement from the Russian side, the presidents discussed the situation surrounding Iran and Ukraine. "The issue of reaching an agreement on the Ukrainian issue is a separate issue, but I think both sides fully understand each other’s political views," he said. "I believe this phone call confirmed both sides’ positions," Fushita added.

"This is just my personal opinion, but I think the divergence in opinions between Putin and Trump on Ukraine is not that great," he noted. Regarding the situation surrounding Iran, Fushita noted some reports that Russia could act as a mediator to resolve the conflict, drawing on its relations with Tehran. "Personally, I hope that Russia’s mediation will be successful and a ceasefire will be achieved as soon as possible," he concluded.

On Monday, Russian Presidential Aide Yury Ushakov reported that Putin had spoken with Trump by phone. According to him, the hour-long conversation, initiated by the American side, focused on the conflicts around Iran and Ukraine, as well as the situation in Venezuela. The conversation was the first between Putin and Trump in more than two months, and their first publicly reported phone call since the US-Israeli attack on Iran.