US President Donald Trump expressed skepticism regarding Ukraine’s potential NATO membership, stating he found it impractical and doubted Ukraine would reclaim all of its territory.
Today, Mr. Trump spoke about the ongoing war in Ukraine during phone calls with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, marking a significant step toward diplomacy in a conflict he aims to resolve.
He indicated that he and Putin plan to meet in the future, likely in Saudi Arabia.
Mr. Trump characterized his conversation with Putin as positive, noting it exceeded an hour. He shared these comments with reporters on Wednesday afternoon.
Donald Trump made his remarks in the Oval Office tonight
The Kremlin confirmed that Mr. Putin and Mr. Trump have agreed to a meeting and that the US President received an invitation to visit Moscow.
Speculation had arisen regarding the choice of a third country for their meeting, with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates mentioned as potential locations by Russian sources.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Mr. Trump referred to the call as “lengthy and highly productive,” revealing that the two leaders agreed to visit each other’s countries to address the significant tensions following Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
According to the Kremlin, the call lasted nearly one-and-a-half hours, during which Mr. Putin and Mr. Trump concurred that “the time has come to work together” toward a long-term resolution for the Ukraine conflict.
“I just had a lengthy and highly productive phone call with President Vladimir Putin of Russia,” Mr. Trump stated, adding that they covered topics including Ukraine, the Middle East, artificial intelligence, and more.
He mentioned that both leaders are committed to “stopping the millions of deaths occurring in the war with Russia/Ukraine,” although he cited an unverified figure for the casualties in the conflict.
“We agreed to collaborate closely, including visits to each other’s nations,” Mr. Trump noted.
“We have also agreed to have our respective teams initiate negotiations immediately” regarding Ukraine.
Mr. Trump had previously pledged to put an end to the Ukraine war before taking office and has advocated for a peace settlement, remaining vague about any direct communication with Putin until now.
However, signaling that Ukraine’s future could hinge on US-Russia relations, Mr. Trump stated, “we will begin by contacting President Zelensky of Ukraine to inform him of the discussion.”
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The Ukrainian presidency later confirmed that Mr. Zelensky had a phone call with Trump.
He remarked that they had a “meaningful conversation” and discussed strategies for ending Russia’s nearly three-year invasion of Ukraine.
“We extensively talked about opportunities for peace and shared our willingness to collaborate at the team level,” Mr. Zelensky posted on social media, expressing gratitude to President Trump for his interest in joint efforts.
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The Ukrainian President has been working to maintain a positive relationship with Mr. Trump to secure US support while also advocating for his nation’s peace demands with Russia.
No peace negotiations have taken place since the early days of the war, which is nearing its third anniversary.
‘Stopping hostilities’
This week showed early signs of a thaw with a prisoner swap that involved Russia releasing American teacher Marc Fogel in exchange for the US freeing Russian cryptocurrency figure Alexander Vinnik.
In his Truth Social post, Mr. Trump praised President Putin, noting that he “even used my very strong campaign motto of ‘common sense’.”
The Kremlin’s response was more subdued, stating that Mr. Putin “agreed with Trump that a long-term settlement could be achieved through peace negotiations.”
“President Trump advocated for ending hostilities as quickly as possible and resolving the issue through peaceful methods,” stated Dmitry Peskov, Mr. Putin’s spokesman, relaying details of the call.
Destroyed cars stand near a damaged building after a Russian missile attack on Kyiv
Mr. Putin emphasized that any resolution must “address the root causes of the conflict,” according to Peskov, who did not provide further details.
Mr. Trump mentioned that he has asked US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, National Security Advisor Michael Waltz, and his Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff to “lead the negotiations, which, I strongly believe, will be successful.”
This week, Mr. Zelensky suggested the possibility of exchanging occupied territory; however, Russia dismissed this proposal just hours after launching a new wave of attacks on Kyiv.
He is scheduled to meet US Vice President JD Vance on Friday during the Munich Security Conference, where the Ukrainian leader expressed hopes of finalizing an economic agreement with the US.
