Former U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that he had a “lengthy and highly productive” conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, during which both leaders agreed to “immediately” begin negotiations to end the war in Ukraine.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump stated that both he and Putin had extended invitations to visit each other’s countries. He also said he would be calling Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky “right now” to inform him about the discussion.
The Kremlin confirmed the call, which lasted approximately 90 minutes, describing it as a significant step toward improved U.S.-Russia relations. According to the Kremlin, Putin told Trump that a “long-term settlement” to the Ukraine conflict—sparked by Russia’s 2022 invasion—was possible and invited Trump to Moscow for further discussions.
The conversation follows a high-profile prisoner exchange earlier this week, in which Moscow released American teacher Marc Fogel while Washington freed Russian cryptocurrency entrepreneur Alexander Vinnik.
Trump praised Putin in his Truth Social post, noting that the Russian president had even echoed his campaign slogan, “COMMON SENSE.”
“We both agreed we want to stop the millions of deaths taking place in the war with Russia/Ukraine,” Trump said, though his casualty estimate remains unverified.
He added that their respective teams would begin negotiations immediately, with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, National Security Advisor Michael Waltz, and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff leading the U.S. side.
While details on the proposed peace talks remain unclear, the development marks an unexpected thaw in U.S.-Russia relations and raises questions about the future of U.S. policy on the Ukraine conflict.
