Trump discusses ending Ukraine war with Putin: To begin by calling Zelenskyy

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced that he had spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin about initiating immediate negotiations to end the war in Ukraine.

In a statement on his social media platform, Trump revealed that both leaders had agreed to have their respective teams commence discussions without delay. “We have also agreed to have our respective teams start negotiations immediately, and we will begin by calling President Zelenskiy, of Ukraine, to inform him of the conversation, something which I will be doing right now,” he stated.

According to the Kremlin, Putin and Trump had spoken for nearly an hour and a half by telephone and that the two men had agreed to meet. During their conversation, Putin also invited Trump to Moscow.

Trump has directed 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, news agency Reuters reported.

“I have 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 which, I feel strongly, will be successful,” the US President said in his post.

Trump’s predecessor, Biden, did not communicate with Putin for nearly three years. The last US president to visit Russia was Barack Obama, who attended a G20 summit there in 2013.

Trump has once again emphasised his positive rapport with Putin, despite Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Speaking at the White House earlier in the day, Trump remarked that his administration had been engaged in “very serious” discussions with Russia regarding the ongoing war.

“We were treated very nicely by Russia, actually. I hope that’s the beginning of a relationship where we can end that war,” he told reporters.

As the Russia-Ukraine war approaches its third year, Trump’s strategy for brokering peace remains unclear. However, he has previously indicated that both Russia and Ukraine would need to make compromises, suggesting that Ukraine may have to cede some of its territory to reach a resolution.

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