US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke on the phone Wednesday and decided to immediately begin talks to resolve the Ukraine war, in an extraordinary warming in relations that might leave Kyiv in the cold.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump described the chat as “lengthy and highly productive,” adding that the two presidents had also committed to seeing each other to address the severe issues that have existed since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
According to the Kremlin, the call lasted about one and a half hours, and Putin and Trump agreed that the “time has come to work together.”
“I just had a lengthy and highly productive phone call with President Vladimir Putin of Russia,” Trump said, hinting that they talked about Ukraine, the Middle East, artificial intelligence, and other topics.
Trump stated that they agreed that “we want to stop the millions of deaths taking place in the war with Russia/Ukraine”—Trump” citing an unverified figure for the Ukraine combat toll.
“We agreed to work together very closely, including visiting each other’s nations.
“We have also agreed to have our respective teams start negotiations immediately” on Ukraine, Trump said.
Trump promised to finish the Ukraine war “within 24 hours” of taking office, and he has been pushing for a peace settlement while remaining tight-lipped about any potential interaction with Putin.
But in an indication that Ukraine’s fate could be decided by Washington and Moscow, Trump stated that “we will begin by calling President Zelensky of Ukraine to inform him of the conversation.”
Volodymyr Zelensky said that he addressed “opportunities to achieve peace” in a “meaningful” discussion with Trump, during which the US president “shared details of his conversation with Putin.”
After the conversation, Trump said to Zelensky, “Like President Putin, I want to make PEACE.”
Zelensky has tried to stay on Trump’s good side and maintain US support while promoting his own country’s wishes for peace with Russia.
– ‘Stopping hostilities’ –
Earlier this week, there were signs of a thaw when Moscow released US teacher Marc Fogel in exchange for the release of Russian cryptocurrency kingpin Alexander Vinnik from Washington.
The Trump administration announced Wednesday that it has also won the release of a US citizen detained in Moscow’s ally Belarus.
In a Truth Social post, Trump praised Putin for using his campaign slogan, “COMMON SENSE,” and expressed gratitude for Fogel’s release.
The US president has already expressed appreciation for Russia’s leader. Two investigations into suspected coordination between Russia and Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign resulted in several convictions, but no evidence of illegal cooperation.
The Kremlin’s response to the conversation was more restrained, stating that Putin “agreed with Trump that a long-term settlement could be reached through peace negotiations.”
“President Trump spoke in favour of ending hostilities as soon as possible and resolving the conflict peacefully,” Putin’s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said in a call readout.
Putin has also invited Trump to Moscow, he claimed.
Zelensky proposed trading occupied land this week, but Russia rejected the plan just hours after launching a new assault of drones and missiles on Kyiv.
He is scheduled to meet with US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference on Friday, where the Ukrainian leader has stated that he hopes to reach an economic accord with Washington.
Pentagon commander Pete Hegseth has previously stated that returning Ukraine to its pre-2014 borders was an “illusionary goal” and that Kyiv’s NATO membership was “not realistic.”
Trump’s surprise disclosure of the Putin call generated concern throughout Europe.
On Wednesday, the foreign ministers of France, Germany, and Spain underlined that “no just and lasting peace in Ukraine” would be possible without the involvement of Kyiv and its European partners.
