DONALD Trump and Vladimir Putin have agreed to begin Ukraine peace talks that could signal the beginning of the end of the bloody war.
Putin has agreed the “war must end” while President Trump said as he revealed details of the historic “lengthy and very productive” phone call between the pair.
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Trump also held a phone call with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky to agree to the “next steps” of the conflict.
Speaking on his chat with Putin, Trump wrote on Truth Social that they extended invitations of “visiting each other’s nations” in the future.
The Republican added that before any meeting the leaders have “agreed to stop the millions of deaths taking place in the war with Russia/Ukraine”.
President Putin called for “common sense” to be applied to the conversations over ending the fighting.
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The chat is believed to be Putin’s first confirmed direct contact with a US president since the start of the war in February 2022.
The call reportedly lasted for around an hour and a half, according to the Kremlin.
They said the topics centred on sorting out “peaceful negotiations” to end the Ukraine conflict.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the Russian president handed out an invite to Trump to visit Moscow with American officials soon.
Trump has repeatedly claimed in the past the war “never would have happened” if he had been president when Putin first threatened to invade.
He also said he would call Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky “right now” to speak to him as well.
Kyiv later confirmed a call had taken place as Zelensky posted a defiant message on X.
He said: “No one wants peace more than Ukraine. Together with the US, we are charting our next steps to stop Russian aggression and ensure a lasting, reliable peace.
“As President Trump said, let’s get it done.”
The “meaningful conversation” lasted an hour and followed on directly from Trump’s chat with Vlad.
Trump left a similar glowing review of the chat with Ukraine’s leader as he said the “conversation went very well”.
The US President added: “He, like President Putin, wants to make PEACE.”
Vice President JD Vance is now due to meet Zelensky in person at the Munich Security Conference on Friday.
Trump spoke on this meeting in a separate social media post: “I am hopeful that the results of that meeting will be positive.
“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!”
America’s proposal to end the three-year-old conflict is believed to be announced at the conference this week.
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Trump has already revealed he has a concrete plan in place to end the war – with him hoping to finalise it “fast”.
Before he took to office last month, Trump ambitiously vowed to find a resolution within days.
Any new deal is said to involve Putin stopping in his tracks and finally putting to an end Russia’s steadily advancing front line.
European soldiers, including Brits, could then be used to guarantee Putin doesn’t invade again by policing a demilitarised zone.
Crucially for Trump and Vlad’s relationship, this wouldn’t include American soldiers, say reports.
In return, Ukraine would be barred from joining Nato and it would have to declare neutrality.
But, the country could still become part of the EU in 2030 and Trump would want the bloc to drive Ukraine’s postwar reconstruction.
The US would continue to support Ukraine‘s military but Kyiv would have to accept Russian ownership of the land Moscow has seized.
The alleged outline for peace was leaked to Ukrainian news outlet Strana – but Zelensky’s office slammed it as Russian disinformation.
Trump’s Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth, spoke today at a meeting of Ukraine’s military allies at the Nato headquarters in Brussels and addressed a potential deal.
He said a return to Ukraine’s pre-2014 borders before Vlad’s illegal invasion was unrealistic – meaning Russia would be able to keep the land it has stolen.
Donald Trump’s statement on the Ukraine peace talks in full
DONALD Trump took to Truth Social after his chat with Putin to say…
“I just had a lengthy and highly productive phone call with President Vladimir Putin of Russia.
We discussed Ukraine, the Middle East, Energy, Artificial Intelligence, the power of the Dollar, and various other subjects.
We both reflected on the Great History of our Nations, and the fact that we fought so successfully together in World War II, remembering, that Russia lost tens of millions of people, and we, likewise, lost so many!
We each talked about the strengths of our respective Nations, and the great benefit that we will someday have in working together.
But first, as we both agreed, we want to stop the millions of deaths taking place in the War with Russia/Ukraine.
President Putin even used my very strong Campaign motto of, “COMMON SENSE.” We both believe very strongly in it.
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, and we will begin by calling President Zelenskyy, of Ukraine, to inform him of the conversation, something which I will be doing right now.
I have asked Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Director of the CIA John Ratcliffe, National Security Advisor Michael Waltz, and Ambassador and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, to lead the negotiations which, I feel strongly, will be successful.
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. No more lives should be lost!
I want to thank President Putin for his time and effort with respect to this call, and for the release, yesterday, of Marc Fogel, a wonderful man that I personally greeted last night at the White House. I believe this effort will lead to a successful conclusion, hopefully soon!”
Hegseth added that his administration doesn’t see any circumstance where Kyiv would be allowed to join Nato.
His speech was regarded as the bluntest statement made by the US on how they believe the conflict can be stopped so far.
Hegseth continued: “We want, like you, a sovereign and prosperous Ukraine. But we must start by recognising that returning to Ukraine’s pre-2014 borders is an unrealistic objective.
“Chasing this illusionary goal will only prolong the war and cause more suffering.”
Despite the conflicting reports around how to achieve peace in Europe, the US President is remaining hopeful that an end is in sight.
He ended his powerful social media post on the phone calls by saying: “I believe this effort will lead to a successful conclusion, hopefully soon.”
The conversation between the respective global powerhouses came less than 24 hours after the two nations agreed on a prisoner exchange deal.
US teacher Marc Fogel was released from a Russian prison after being jailed over trumped-up drug charges in 2021.
Fogel, 63, was arrested at an airport in 2021 for the illegal possession of a small amount of medical cannabis and slapped with a 14-year sentence.
Trump met Fogel back in Washington yesterday and hailed him as a “hero”.
It is still unclear on the exact terms of the deal in regards to what Russia gained in return.
The dramatic release was seen as the first step towards a better relationship with Russia.
Trump said securing Fogel’s return was just the beginning of the progress he hopes to make during his second term in office.
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