President Putin [TASS=Yonhap News]

Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed a mediation plan on May 9 (local time) stating that Russia is ready to store enriched uranium, the main sticking point in peace negotiations between the United States and Iran.

According to DPA, President Putin stated at a press conference following the Victory Day parade commemorating the end of World War II that if necessary, Russia could receive and store Iran's enriched uranium as part of an agreement to end the conflict with Iran.

He claimed that while Iran, the United States, and Israel, the parties to the dispute, had all agreed to the export of uranium, "the United States later changed its stance and demanded the uranium be exported to the U.S., which in turn caused Iran to adamantly change its attitude."

He added that Russia had already received enriched uranium from Iran once in 2015 and is now "ready to repeat the experience from that time."

Earlier, U.S. President Donald Trump stated at the end of last month that he had received an offer of assistance from Russia regarding Iran's enriched uranium but rejected it, implying that Russia should focus on ending the conflict in Ukraine.

While the specifics of Russia's offer at the time were not confirmed, U.S. media speculated that a similar method might have been discussed, given that Iran's uranium export to Russia was part of the 2015 nuclear deal reached during the Barack Obama administration.

In his press conference on this day, President Putin reiterated Russia's willingness to play a role in resolving the Iran issue by stating, "We want the conflict to be resolved as quickly as possible," and that Russia will maintain continuous contact with the U.S. and Iran.

Regarding the war in Ukraine, President Putin stated that it is "approaching its end."

He expressed his willingness to hold direct talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, but stipulated that the location must be Moscow.

He further stated that a meeting in a location other than Moscow would only be possible after a long-term peace agreement has been concluded.

He indicated his willingness to negotiate a new European security architecture, and stated that former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder is his preferred negotiation partner.

Schröder has maintained a close relationship with President Putin since his time in office and is known for his pro-Russian stance, having maintained ties with Russian energy companies even after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine.

Regarding China, President Putin commented on the discussions between the two countries, stating, "I will not go into detail at this moment, but in fact, we have reached a high-level agreement to achieve significant progress in cooperation in the oil and gas sectors."

He added that trade between Russia and China is increasing and that trade diversification, including in high-tech industries, is also taking place.