Trump and Putin hold phone call, agree to ‘work together’ to end war in Ukraine
US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly had a “lengthy and highly productive” phone call where they agreed to start negotiations to end the war in Ukraine.
Agreement to Negotiate: Both leaders agreed to “immediately” begin negotiations to end the war in Ukraine. Trump stated that he and Putin agreed to have their teams start negotiations without delay.
Call Details: According to the Kremlin, the call lasted 1.5 hours, with both leaders agreeing that “the time has come to work together”.
Invitations: Trump and Putin extended invitations to visit each other’s nations. Putin invited Trump to Moscow.
Zelenskyy’s Involvement: Trump said he would contact Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to inform him of the discussion with Putin. Zelenskyy confirmed that he spoke with Trump, with the call lasting one hour, according to AFP news agency.
Negotiation Team: Trump has asked Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Director of the CIA John Ratcliffe, National Security Advisor Michael Waltz, and Ambassador and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff to lead the negotiations.
Statements: Trump said that he and Putin want to stop the millions of deaths taking place in the Russia/Ukraine war. Putin reportedly used Trump’s campaign motto, “COMMON SENSE”.
Related Events: The call occurred after a prisoner swap where Moscow freed US teacher Marc Fogel, and Washington released Russian cryptocurrency kingpin Alexander Vinnik.
NATO and Ukraine: US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated it was “unrealistic” to anticipate that Ukraine would revert to its borders prior to 2014. He also said that NATO membership was not realistic for Ukraine and that any security guarantees would have to be born by European countries.
