US President Donald Trump, after a conversation with Putin, spoke on the phone with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky. Trump emphasized the need for immediate talks to end the ongoing war between the two nations. He tasked Secretary of State Marco Rubio, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, NSA Michael Waltz, and Ambassador and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff to lead these discussions.
Following Trump's talks with Putin and Zelensky, there is optimism that the long-standing Russia-Ukraine conflict might see a resolution. During his interaction with Trump, Putin extended an invitation for him to visit Moscow.
Zelensky shared on X about the discourse with Trump, 'I engaged in a productive conversation with Donald Trump, discussing opportunities for peace at length, our readiness to collaborate at team levels, and Ukraine's technological capabilities, including drones and other advanced industries. I'm grateful to President Trump for showing interest in working with us.'
Zelensky added about their discussion with Secretary Scott Besant, covering new security, economic cooperation, and resource-sharing document preparations. President Trump also divulged details of his conversation with Putin. No one desires peace more than Ukraine. Together with America, we are outlining steps to curb Russian aggression and ensure enduring, trustworthy peace. As President Trump said, let's accomplish this.
They agreed on maintaining contact and planning future meetings.
Zelensky Talks with Treasury Secretary
After discussions with Trump, Zelensky also met with US Treasury Secretary Scott Besant. He posted on X about their conversation, stressing the value of partnership with the US, being thankful for their support in defending independence, and aiming to expand joint security capabilities.
Security holds paramount importance. Moscow and its allies must not be allowed dominion over Ukraine, meaning we should work collaboratively in the free world.
He mentioned receiving an American perspective to bolster cooperation. Multiple proposals were discussed today, aiming for a robust agreement. Progress is anticipated by the Munich Security Conference.
Trump Engages with Putin
Prior to this, Trump had a phone discussion with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The leaders talked about the Ukraine conflict, Middle East tensions, energy, AI, the dollar, among other subjects. Trump conveyed details of this conversation on his social media platform. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov reported Putin's invitation for Trump to visit Moscow.
Trump shared, 'I just had a long and meaningful phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. We discussed Ukraine, the Middle East, energy, artificial intelligence, the dollar's strength, and other topics. We reminisced about our countries' great history and the joint success of America and Russia in World War II. We remembered the millions who died in that war. Russia lost millions of citizens, and so did we.'
Source: aajtak
Trump stated, 'We talked about our countries' strengths and the immense benefit of working together, but primarily, we want to stop the war in Ukraine and prevent more millions from dying. President Putin even used my campaign slogan, 'Common Sense.'
He continued, 'We agreed on visiting each other's countries among other collaborative efforts. Our respective teams have started immediate talks, and I will inform Ukraine's President Zelensky about the conversation soon.'
He mentioned, 'I assigned Secretary of State Marco Rubio, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, National Security Advisor Michael Waltz, and Ambassador and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff to lead these talks, which I firmly believe will succeed. Millions have died in a war that wouldn't have occurred if I were President, but it did, so it must end. There should be no more loss of life! I thank President Putin for his time and effort during this call, and tomorrow, I'll thank him for Mark Fogel's release. I am confident this effort is heading towards a successful conclusion!'
