US President Donald has said that he would “probably” meet in person with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in the near term, suggesting that could happen in Saudi Arabia.
Trump said on Wednesday that he and Putin had agreed to begin negotiations on ending the war in Ukraine.
Trump said he spent more than an hour on the phone with Putin and “I think we’re on the way to getting peace." He noted that he later spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, but he was noncommittal about whether Ukraine would be an equal participant in US negotiations with Russia.
“I think President Putin wants peace and President Zelenskiy wants peace and I want peace," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “I just want to see people stop being killed.”
Of his conversation with Putin, Trump said, “People didn’t really know what President Putin’s thoughts were. But I think I can say with great confidence, he wants to see it ended also, so that’s good — and we’re going to work toward getting it ended and as fast as possible.”
In a post on his social media platform, he said Secretary of State Marco Rubio, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, national security adviser Michael Waltz and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff would lead negotiations on ending the war.
Zelenskiy's office said the conversation with Trump lasted for about an hour.
"I had a meaningful conversation with @POTUS. We... talked about opportunities to achieve peace, discussed our readiness to work together ...and Ukraine's technological capabilities... including drones and other advanced industries," Zelenskiy wrote on X.
No Ukraine peace talks have been held since the early months of the conflict, now approaching its third anniversary.
