President Donald Trump has announced that negotiations to end the war in Ukraine will commence “immediately” following what he described as a “lengthy and highly productive” phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday morning.
The call, the first publicly known discussion between the two leaders since Trump assumed office last month, signals a potential shift in the U.S. approach to the conflict. According to officials, the Trump administration hopes that a recent prisoner exchange could pave the way for broader diplomatic efforts to end the nearly four-year-long war.
Trump and Putin Pledge Cooperation
In a statement on Truth Social, Trump outlined the topics covered during the discussion, including the Ukraine war, Middle East affairs, energy, artificial intelligence, and global currency stability.
“We agreed to work together, very closely, including visiting each other’s nations,” Trump wrote. “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.”
The Kremlin reported that the conversation lasted nearly 90 minutes and described it as constructive. Trump also noted that Putin had echoed one of his signature campaign slogans. “President Putin even used my very strong campaign motto of ‘COMMON SENSE.’ We both believe very strongly in it,” Trump wrote, suggesting that the Russian leader had chosen his words deliberately to appeal to him.
Shift in U.S. Foreign Policy Priorities
As Trump seeks to bring the war to a swift resolution, his administration has also signaled a change in U.S. priorities regarding European security. Speaking at a conference in Brussels, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated that Ukraine’s NATO membership was “unrealistic” and that the U.S. would focus more on domestic security and deterring conflict with China.
Meanwhile, Trump has reportedly floated the idea of securing access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals in exchange for continued American support.
Diplomatic Engagement Intensifies
Shortly after his call with Putin, Trump spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, though details of their conversation have not yet been disclosed.
Trump’s diplomatic outreach marks a departure from his predecessor, Joe Biden, who had not spoken with Putin for nearly three years, citing the Russian leader’s classification as a “war criminal.”
Observers have pointed to the recent release of wrongfully detained American citizen Marc Fogel as a potential sign of improving U.S.-Russia relations. Steve Witkoff, one of Trump’s key negotiators on the Ukraine conflict, highlighted the development as a promising step.
“I think that’s maybe a sign of how the working relationship between President Trump and President Putin will be in the future, and what that may portend for the world at large,” Witkoff said. “I think they had a great friendship, and I think now it’s going to continue, and it’s a really good thing for the world.”
Witkoff, who was in Moscow on Tuesday, reportedly met privately with Putin ahead of Trump’s call, according to sources familiar with the meeting.
