This combination of pictures created on February 12, 2025 shows US President Donald Trump in Washington, DC, on February 11, 2025, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky in Brussels on December 19, 2024, and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on January 17, 2025. (Photo by various sources / AFP)
Washington: US President Donald Trump on Wednesday spoke with the leaders of Russia and Ukraine by phone and said both countries agreed to begin peace negotiations.
Trump's 90-minute phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which focused on negotiations to end the Ukraine crisis, was, in his words, "lengthy and highly productive." It marked his first open conversation with Putin after he took office.
Later that day, Trump spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who also "wants to make peace."
WHAT DID TRUMP DISCUSS WITH PUTIN?
Trump held a phone conversation with Putin early Wednesday, noting in a post on Truth Social that he and Putin agreed "to stop the millions of deaths taking place" in the conflict, stressing Washington and Moscow will "immediately" engage in direct negotiations aimed at ending the crisis.
The hour-long conversation also involved "the Middle East, Energy, Artificial Intelligence, the power of the Dollar and various other subjects," added Trump, noting that he felt "strongly" that the negotiations between the United States and Russia "will be successful."
"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," Trump said.
The phone conversation was also described as an "extensive and substantive dialogue" by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
Peskov said that Trump embraced a quick ceasefire and peaceful end to the fighting, and Putin underlined the need to eliminate the root causes of the conflict.
"The Russian president has invited the US president to visit Moscow," Peskov said, adding that Putin expressed readiness to receive US officials in Moscow.
Trump mentioned at the White House that he would "probably" meet with Putin in person soon, suggesting later that the meeting could take place in Saudi Arabia.
WHAT DID TRUMP DISCUSS WITH ZELENSKY?
Shortly after his conversation with Putin, Trump spoke with Zelensky midday. Trump wrote on social media that "the conversation went very well. He, like President Putin, wants to make peace."
"We discussed a variety of topics having to do with the War, but mostly, the meeting that is being set up on Friday in Munich," Trump said, voicing hope that the results of the Munich Security Conference will be positive and end a conflict filled with "death and destruction."
"We long talked about opportunities to achieve peace, discussed our readiness to work together at the team level," Zelensky said on X, formerly Twitter, adding, "We agreed to maintain further contact and plan upcoming meetings."
The Ukrainian leader noted that Trump shared details of his conversation with Putin.
Zelensky also said he discussed Ukraine's technological capabilities with Trump, including drones and other advanced industries, as well as the preparation of a new document on bilateral security, economic cooperation and resource partnership.
HOW DID THE WORLD REACT?
On Wednesday, ministers from France, Britain, Germany, Poland, Italy, Spain and the European Commission met with Ukraine's foreign minister in Paris.
"Our shared objectives should be to put Ukraine in a position of strength. Ukraine and Europe must be part of any negotiations," a joint statement of the seven countries and the European Commission noted.
"Ukraine should be provided with strong security guarantees. A just and lasting peace in Ukraine is a necessary condition for strong transatlantic security," the statement said, adding that the European powers were looking forward to discussing the way ahead with their American allies.
After the call, Trump told reporters at the White House that Ukraine would unlikely return to its pre-2014 borders, but "some of that land will come back."
Trump said he agreed with U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's decision to rule out Ukraine's accession to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) as part of a negotiated settlement to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said that Europe would offer security guarantees for Ukraine even if NATO membership is not immediate.
Barrot said there would be no just peace for Ukraine without Europeans participating in the negotiations and that it was up to Ukrainians to decide the parameters of a peace accord.
The meeting in Paris was focused on outlining the bloc's defense strategy, exploring ways to strengthen Ukraine, preparing for future peace talks, and strategizing how to approach discussions with the U.S. administration at the upcoming security conference in Munich.
