1 week ago
24
US President Trump and Russian President Putin have agreed to launch immediate negotiations aimed at ending the war in Ukraine, following a lengthy phone call on Wednesday.
Trump, in a statement on his Truth Social platform, described the call as “lengthy and highly productive,” saying both leaders had invited each other for state visits.
“It is time to stop this ridiculous war, where there has been massive, and totally unnecessary, death and destruction. God bless the people of Russia and Ukraine!” Trump wrote.
However, the Ukrainian government was notably absent from the initial talks. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky later confirmed he had spoken with Trump, calling it a “good and detailed discussion” about Ukraine’s future security and stability. He reiterated that “no one wants peace more than Ukraine” and vowed to continue diplomatic efforts to stop Russian aggression.
Despite the positive rhetoric, the path to peace remains fraught with obstacles. Trump did not outline specifics of the planned negotiations but later told reporters at the White House that he and Putin would meet “in Saudi Arabia.” The Kremlin’s spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, confirmed that Putin had invited Trump to Moscow and supported the US president’s push for talks.
One of the biggest challenges is Ukraine’s NATO aspirations. Both Trump and his Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth cast doubt on Ukraine’s chances of joining the alliance, with Trump saying, “I think that’s probably true.” This marks a significant shift from previous US policy and is likely to disappoint Kyiv, which has long sought NATO membership as a security guarantee against further Russian aggression.
Trump also suggested that Ukraine might not regain all of its pre-2014 borders, though he hinted that “some of that land will come back.” Putin has made it clear that Moscow will not return Crimea or other occupied territories.
Meanwhile, reports indicate that Zelensky has floated the idea of swapping Russian-held Ukrainian land for Ukrainian-controlled areas in Russia’s western Kursk region. The Kremlin quickly dismissed the proposal as “impossible,” with Peskov stating, “Russia has never discussed and will not discuss the exchange of its territory.”
The Biden administration has not publicly commented on Trump’s call with Putin, but European allies have expressed concerns about any deal that would compromise Ukraine’s sovereignty. The UK government reaffirmed its support for Ukraine, with Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner stating that London’s commitment remained “steadfast.”
At the upcoming Munich defense summit, Zelensky is set to meet US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio to discuss Ukraine’s security needs. He has also emphasized the necessity of US involvement in any future security agreement. “Security guarantees without America are not real security guarantees,” Zelensky said.
The war, which began with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine nearly three years ago, has resulted in hundreds of thousands of military casualties and displaced millions of Ukrainian civilians. While Moscow has taken significant territory in eastern and southern Ukraine, its forces failed to capture Kyiv, leading to a prolonged and bloody conflict.
Chioma Kalu
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