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US President Donald Trump said he spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday about immediately starting negotiations to end the war in Ukraine, Reuters reports. The Kremlin announced that the leaders of the two countries agreed to meet, and Putin invited Trump to Moscow. Trump also spoke with Volodymyr Zelensky. The Ukrainian President’s office announced that the leader from Kiev and the American president had a phone conversation of about an hour.
Moreover, US President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that he would meet his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Saudi Arabia, shortly after speaking with him on the phone and agreeing to launch negotiations “immediately” to end the War in Ukraine, AFP reports.
Yet, Trump did not call Ukraine an equal participant in the planned peace negotiations with Russia. When asked about it on Wednesday, in a discussion with journalists in the Oval Office, Trump limited himself to saying that “it’s an interesting question,” reports Ukrainskaia Pravda. However, Trump does not believe that there is a danger that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s participation in the negotiation process will be blocked. “I think they should make peace. Their people are being killed, and I think they should make peace. I said it was a bad war, that should not have been fought. And I think they should make peace. That’s what I think,” Trump commented.
When asked if he agreed with Zelensky giving up territory or exchanging territory to end the war, he replied: “He’s going to have to do what he has to do, but his ratings, to put it mildly, are not very high.”
The White House chief added that it is unlikely that Ukraine will return to the borders that existed before 2014, suggesting that the country should cede territory to Russia to end the war.
Volodymyr Zelensky categorically rejects the conclusion of a peace agreement without Ukraine’s involvement in the negotiations, after Trump spoke directly with Putin: “You can’t talk about us, but without us. The Europeans must also be at the negotiating table.”
The Ukrainian president made these statements during a discussion with reporters on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference. The leader from Kiev also said that it is very important that everything does not go according to Vladimir Putin’s plan, that the negotiations are not a bilateral matter, between the US and Russia.
Asked if Ukraine would be an equal member at the negotiating table, Donald Trump replied: “Interesting question. They have to make peace”. Zelensky also said that he conveyed to his American counterpart that the priorities for Ukraine are security guarantees.
Also, the Estonian Foreign Minister, a country that borders Russia, stated that the peace agreement cannot be concluded without Ukraine and without Europeans: “We are not talking only about the situation in Ukraine, but about the European security architecture”.
Mark Rutte, the Secretary General of NATO, also stated that the Alliance must put Ukraine in the best possible position for negotiations.
German Foreign Minister: “Ukraine and Europe must be involved in negotiations”
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on Thursday that Ukraine and Europe must be involved in peace talks on Ukraine, after the US and Russian presidents discussed the settlement of the conflict, Reuters reports.
“We cannot have talks without Ukraine’s involvement. Peace in Europe is at stake, that’s why we Europeans must be involved,” Baerbock said in an interview with Radio Deutschlandfunk. The German Foreign Minister said she was not informed in advance about the talks between Trump and Putin.
“This is how the Trump Administration operates. This is why constant mutual communication with the various actors is necessary. This is also different from other times. This is not how others do foreign policy, but this is the reality now,” said Baerbock, who is a member of Germany’s Green party.
In turn, the co-leader of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s German Social Democrats told Reuters on Thursday that Europe and Germany must take more responsibility. “What is needed now is a fast and firm signal and also an extended offer to the United States,” said SPD co-leader Lars Klingbeil.
NATO Secretary General: “Negotiations must include Kiev”
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said on Thursday that any peace agreement in Ukraine must be sustainable and that any negotiations must include Kiev, Reuters reports.
“It is essential that whatever comes out of these talks is sustainable, is long-lasting,” Rutte told reporters in Brussels ahead of talks with the alliance’s defense ministers.
The Secretary General also said that it is essential “that Ukraine be closely involved in everything that happens with Ukraine”.
US Secretary of Defense: “It is not a betrayal of Ukraine”
The initiative of US President Donald Trump, who agreed with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to start “immediate” negotiations to end the conflict in Ukraine, “is not a betrayal” of this country, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said in Brussels on Thursday, reports Agerpres. “We recognize Ukraine’s commitment for years and no country has been more committed to Ukraine than the US. It is not a betrayal. It is a recognition of the fact that everyone, including the United States, is committed to a negotiated peace”, he told journalists upon arrival at the NATO meeting of defense ministers.
Hegseth also said, in this context, that “the world is lucky to have President Trump”, “the best negotiator”, the only one who can bring the parties involved to the negotiating table. He also stated to journalists that it is Europe’s responsibility to stop the Russian “war machine”.
He reiterated his call for member countries to increase their defense allocation as a percentage of GDP, which should eventually reach 5%. “An increase towards 5% is an appropriate target to face the threats of the future”, he said later, in joint statements with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
Zelensky on Wednesday: As President Trump said, let’s get it done
“I had a meaningful conversation with@POTUS. We long talked about opportunities to achieve peace, discussed our readiness to work together at the team level, and Ukraine’s technological capabilities—including drones and other advanced industries. I am grateful to President Trump for his interest in what we can accomplish together. We also spoke about my discussion with @SecScottBessent and the preparation of a new document on security, economic cooperation, and resource partnership. President Trump shared details of his conversation with Putin. No one wants peace more than Ukraine. Together with the U.S., we are charting our next steps to stop Russian aggression and ensure a lasting, reliable peace. As President Trump said, let’s get it done. We agreed to maintain further contact and plan upcoming meetings,” Zelensky posted o X.
US President Donald Trump announced that he spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday about “immediately beginning negotiations” to end the war in Ukraine, Reuters, AFP and SkyNews reported. Those who will lead the negotiations from the United States will be Secretary of State Marco Rubio, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, National Security Advisor Michael Waltz and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, President Trump said.
Trump has long said he would quickly end the war in Ukraine, without saying how he would do so.
“I just had a lengthy and highly productive phone call with President Vladimir Putin of Russia. We discussed Ukraine, the Middle East, Energy, Artificial Intelligence, the power of the Dollar, and various other subjects. We both reflected on the Great History of our Nations, and the fact that we fought so successfully together in World War II, remembering, that Russia lost tens of millions of people, and we, likewise, lost so many! We each talked about the strengths of our respective Nations, and the great benefit that we will someday have in working together. But first, as we both agreed, we want to stop the millions of deaths taking place in the War with Russia/Ukraine. President Putin even used my very strong Campaign motto of, “COMMON SENSE.”
We both believe very strongly in it. 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, and we will begin by calling President Zelenskyy, of Ukraine, to inform him of the conversation, something which I will be doing right now. 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. Millions of people have died in a War that would not have happened if I were President, but it did happen, so it must end. No more lives should be lost! I want to thank President Putin for his time and effort with respect to this call, and for the release, yesterday, of Marc Fogel, a wonderful man that I personally greeted last night at the White House. I believe this effort will lead to a successful conclusion, hopefully soon!“, reads Trump’s post.
Kremlin says Trump invited to Moscow
The Kremlin said Putin and Trump spoke on the phone for nearly an hour and a half and that the two leaders agreed to meet, and Vladimir Putin invited Donald Trump to Moscow.
The Kremlin said that Russian President Vladimir Putin said during a phone call with his US counterpart Donald Trump that he wanted to find a “long-term solution” to the Ukrainian conflict through “peace talks”.
“The issue of the settlement in Ukraine was also discussed. President Trump spoke in favor of a quick cessation of hostilities and the resolution of problems by peaceful means.(…) President Putin mentioned the need to address the root causes of the conflict and agreed with Trump that a long-term solution could be found through peace negotiations”, said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
Peskov also noted that the Russian president had invited Trump to visit Moscow and expressed his readiness to receive US officials in Russia. At the same time, according to the Kremlin representative, Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump agreed during their telephone conversation that “the time has come” for the US and Russia to “work together.”
“The Russian president also supported one of the main theses of the American head of state, according to which the time has come for our countries to collaborate,” Peskov pointed out.
Defense secretary’s previous warnings on Ukraine
Earlier on Wednesday, Trump’s defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, said a return to Ukraine’s pre-2014 borders was unrealistic and that the US administration did not see Kiev joining NATO as part of a solution to the war.
Speaking at a meeting of Ukraine’s military allies at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Wednesday, Hegseth made the clearest and most emphatic public statement yet on the new US administration’s approach to the nearly three-year-old war. “We want, like you, a sovereign and prosperous Ukraine. But we must begin by recognizing that returning to Ukraine’s pre-2014 borders is an unrealistic goal,” Hegseth told a meeting of Ukraine and more than 40 allies at NATO headquarters in Brussels.“Pursuing this illusory goal will only prolong the war and cause more suffering.”
Regarding Ukraine’s accession to NATO, he believes that “it is not a realistic outcome for a negotiated agreement with Russia.”
He also ruled out the possibility of the US deploying peacekeeping troops to Ukraine and said that this responsibility falls to European states. The official urged European leaders to provide “the overwhelming part” of aid to Ukraine and added that “harsh strategic realities prevent the US from focusing primarily on the security of Europe, while looking at threats to its own security.”
Here, he conveyed that the US prioritizes deterring a war with China in the Indo-Pacific region. In conclusion, he stated that the US remains committed to the North Atlantic Alliance, but will not tolerate an unbalanced relationship that encourages dependence. This last statement refers to President Donald Trump’s call for NATO states to increase their GDP allocations for defense to 5%.
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Off-course! It was a done and agreed deal from when the war started. Russ will get 1/3 of Ukraine, no NATO membership – USA will get all remainder rare metallurgical industry – EU will get new compatible immigrants. Ukraine will get nothing! But at least Romania will not have direct boarders with the Russ and will not be the duffer state it used to be. Nice upgrade.