Trump also discussed the plans with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Zelenskyy is due to meet with Vice President Vance on Feb. 14.
Following phone calls with his Russian and Ukrainian counterparts on Feb. 12, President Donald Trump announced Russia has agreed to “start negotiations immediately” to end the war in Ukraine.
“I just had a lengthy and highly productive phone call with President Vladimir Putin of Russia,” Trump announced in a Feb. 12 post on Truth Social. The call marks Trump’s first known conversation with Putin since taking office.
“First, as we both agreed, we want to stop the millions of deaths taking place in the War with Russia/Ukraine.”
Speaking with reporters at the White House later on Feb. 12, Trump said he may soon meet with Putin in person in Saudi Arabia, though he didn’t provide an exact timeline for such a meeting.
So far, the Russian side has provided few additional details about the call between Trump and Putin.
In remarks carried by Russia’s state-sponsored TASS news agency, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the two leaders spoke for about an hour and a half.
Immediately after speaking with the Russian leader, Trump called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
In another post on Truth Social, Trump said that conversation “went very well” and that Zelenskyy also wants to negotiate a peace agreement.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also met with Zelenskyy in person in Kyiv on Feb. 12.
Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio will lead another U.S. delegation to meet with Zelenskyy in Germany on Feb. 14.
Putin and Trump’s phone conversation comes a day after the Trump administration secured the release of Marc Fogel, who had been held in Russia since 2021 over a marijuana possession charge.
Trump thanked his Russian counterpart for agreeing to Fogel’s release.
Announcing Fogel’s release on Feb. 11, national security advisor Mike Waltz said, “[The exchange] serves as a show of good faith from the Russians and a sign we are moving in the right direction to end the brutal and terrible war in Ukraine.”
By Ryan Morgan
