President Trump spoke Wednesday with Russian President Vladimir Putin and said the two agreed to “start negotiations immediately” around the war in Ukraine.
Trump posted on Truth Social that he had a “lengthy and highly productive phone call” with Putin. It is the first publicly disclosed phone call between the two men since Trump took office. Trump said the two discussed Ukraine, the Middle East, energy, artificial intelligence, the dollar and other topics.
“But first, as we both agreed, we want to stop the millions of deaths taking place in the War with Russia/Ukraine,” Trump wrote. “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.”
Trump said the two leaders agreed to have their teams begin negotiations on bringing an end to the war in Ukraine, which began roughly four years ago when Russian forces invaded the country.
Trump said he would be speaking with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday, and that he would ask Secretary of State Marco Rubio, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, national security adviser Michael Waltz and special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff to lead negotiations.
“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,” Trump posted.
The call took place one day after the release of Fogel, an American citizen who had been imprisoned in Russian for more than three years. The U.S. is expected to release Alexander Vinnik, a Russian national who pleaded guilty last year to conspiracy to commit money laundering.
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