Trump To Open Talks With Putin Over Ukraine --- The U.S. president, pushing to end the conflict, says the two leaders spoke

   

"President Trump said he and Russia's Vladimir Putin agreed to open immediate talks to end the war in Ukraine in a "lengthy and highly productive phone call" between the two leaders.

"I believe this effort will lead to a successful conclusion, hopefully soon!" Trump wrote on Truth Social, the first official acknowledgment the two leaders have talked since Trump was elected. Trump said he and Putin agreed to visit each other's countries.

Their conversation on Wednesday followed a prisoner exchange between Washington and Moscow that Trump said could be a harbinger for better relations between the U.S. and Russia.

"We want to stop the millions of deaths taking place in the War with Russia/Ukraine," Trump wrote.

Any effort to end the conflict could face stiff headwinds, including from Putin, who has shown little inclination so far to end a war he contends he is winning -- even though gains by Russian forces are slow and with heavy losses. For Ukraine, a cease-fire along the current front lines would also be a painful step, ceding control for the foreseeable future of 20% of the country.

Trump also spoke Wednesday with President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, who said they discussed "the possibilities of achieving peace" as well as Ukraine's technological capabilities, particularly drones.

"Ukraine more than anyone wants peace," Zelensky said in a statement. "We are defining our joint steps with America to halt Russian aggression and ensure a reliable, lasting peace. As President Trump said, 'Let's get it done.'"

Earlier Wednesday, Zelensky met with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in Kyiv. Zelensky said they discussed Ukrainian mineral deposits, which Trump has said he wants access to in return for military aid.

Bessent presented a document about a security and economic partnership between the two countries, Zelensky said.

Zelensky said his team would work on that quickly in the hope of being ready to seal an agreement at a security conference in Munich later this week.

Trump, a Republican, didn't describe what role Kyiv would have in negotiations on ending the war. Trump said he would likely meet Putin in Saudi Arabia and indicated Zelensky wouldn't be involved in those initial talks.

Under the Biden administration, the U.S. said it wouldn't hold peace talks without Ukraine at the table.

The U.S. negotiating team would include Secretary of Secretary of State Marco Rubio, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, national security adviser Michael Waltz, and Middle East special envoy Steve Witkoff, Trump said. Witkoff met with Putin when he was in Moscow to pick up Marc Fogel, a U.S. citizen imprisoned in Russia who was released Tuesday, according to a U.S. official.

Putin said last month he was open to talks with the Trump administration over Ukraine. Russia was seeking a "long-term peace based on respect for the legitimate interests of all people, all peoples who live in the region," he said in comments released by the Kremlin.

Trump's discussion with Putin, and comments Wednesday from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, suggested some softening of the U.S.'s stance in advance of anticipated talks.

Hegseth on Wednesday called the prospect of Ukraine returning to its pre-2014 borders "an unrealistic objective." That represents a rhetorical shift for the U.S., which under the Biden administration said that Russia needed to negotiate an outcome with Ukraine. U.S. officials had only privately conceded that Ukraine could reach an agreement with Russia by agreeing to a cease-fire along existing battle lines in Ukraine.

Speaking in Brussels, Hegseth rejected sending U.S. troops to Ukraine, adding that any security guarantees offered to Kyiv "must be backed by capable European and non-European troops."

He also took Ukraine's accession into the political-military bloc of NATO off the table: "The United States does not believe that NATO membership for Ukraine is a realistic outcome of a negotiated settlement."

Zelensky said last month he could accept a cease-fire that effectively would leave occupied territory in Moscow's hands if the rest of Ukraine were given NATO protection.

Under Biden, the U.S. and key European allies were reluctant to move ahead with offering Kyiv membership to NATO, though eventual membership wasn't ruled out.

Alexander Vindman, a former White House National Security Council adviser under the Biden administration, called Hegseth's statement on NATO a "complete capitulation" and a "major blow to U.S. national security" that would embolden Russia.

Daniel Fried, a retired U.S. diplomat who coordinated sanctions policy against Russia during the Obama administration, said Hegseth's announced position on NATO membership "could be a dumb concession to Moscow," but it was too early to tell.

Fried noted that Trump and his aides have been sending out mixed signals to Moscow about negotiations over Ukraine, sometimes flattering Putin and sometimes threatening him with sanctions, tariffs and other punitive measures if he didn't make a deal.

Hegseth's statement could be more positioning to ease Putin into talks, he said.

While Ukraine has said it wants all of its territory back, it also has acknowledged it would struggle to reclaim the roughly 20% belonging to Russia. Zelensky has said he hopes Western partners will help Ukraine negotiate a diplomatic deal for the return of its territory.

Hegseth didn't address the extent of weapons and military support the U.S. would provide Ukraine.

The State Department said the U.S., as of Jan. 20, had provided Ukraine with $65.9 billion in military support since the war began. That has slowed significantly under Trump.

"We're also here today to directly and unambiguously express that stark strategic realities prevent the United States of America from being primarily focused on the security of Europe," Hegseth said.

Trump said he agreed with Hegseth that NATO membership for Ukraine isn't practical. The U.S. would continue to send aid to Ukraine, he said, adding it must be secure.” [1]

Keeping Russia’s economic interactions with the West limited, increases prices in the West. D. Trump considers this suffering of regular Americans not acceptable. A compromise is needed in order to end the conflict. The USA team discusses impressive starting positions for finding the compromise.

   
1. Trump To Open Talks With Putin Over Ukraine --- The U.S. president, pushing to end the conflict, says the two leaders spoke. Cullison, Alan; Youssef, Nancy A; Lytvynenko, Jane.  Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 13 Feb 2025: A1.