President Donald Trump has initiated negotiations aimed at ending the war in Ukraine, following what he described as a “highly productive” conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump stated that the two leaders agreed to begin talks immediately, with the first step being direct communication with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
“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,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. He assigned Secretary of State Marco Rubio, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, National Security Advisor Michael Waltz, and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff to spearhead the U.S. side of the negotiations.
Trump emphasized that the war, which has caused massive destruction and loss of life since it began in 2022, should have never occurred. “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,” he stated. “No more lives should be lost!” The Wall Street Journal estimates that over one million Ukrainians have been injured or killed in the conflict.
During their call, Trump and Putin reportedly discussed a range of global issues, including energy security, artificial intelligence, and the ongoing situation in the Middle East. Trump highlighted that their conversation was focused on cooperation, stating, “We each talked about the strengths of our respective nations, and the great benefit that we will someday have in working together.” He also noted that Putin invoked his campaign slogan, calling for a resolution based on “common sense.”
In a surprising development, Trump and Putin also discussed the possibility of future diplomatic visits. If realized, this would mark the first visit of a U.S. president to Russia since Barack Obama attended the G-20 Summit in St. Petersburg in 2013. Given the deepening tensions between the two nations over the last decade, such a visit would signal a major shift in U.S.-Russia relations.
Trump also took a moment to thank Putin for facilitating the release of American schoolteacher Marc Fogel, who had been wrongfully imprisoned in Russia for more than three years. In exchange, the Trump administration released Russian cybercriminal Alexander Vinnik, who had pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering and had been facing a 20-year sentence. This swap underscores the complex diplomacy at play between the two countries as they attempt to resolve ongoing disputes.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy has suggested a possible land swap as a way to bring an end to the war. In an interview published by The Guardian, Zelenskyy proposed exchanging occupied territories between Ukraine and Russia. Since August, Ukrainian forces have held portions of Russia’s Kursk Oblast, while Russian forces continue to occupy about 20% of Ukraine. Zelenskyy stated that he had not yet determined which Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory he would demand in return for the Kursk region.
Vice President JD Vance and other senior administration officials are currently in Europe, meeting with U.S. allies and Ukrainian officials to discuss potential paths forward. Vance is expected to meet with Zelenskyy at the Munich Security Conference to address possible conditions for a ceasefire.
Putin’s demands for ending the war remain firm. Russia seeks formal Ukrainian neutrality, including abandoning any plans to join NATO, and maintaining control over four key territories: Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia. Whether Ukraine will accept any such terms remains unclear.
