WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump upended three years of U.S. policy toward Ukraine on Wednesday, saying that he and Russian leader Vladimir Putin had agreed to begin negotiations on ending the war following a sudden prisoner swap. 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 Zelenskyy, but he was noncommittal about whether Ukraine would be an equal participant in U.S. negotiations with Russia. “I think President Putin wants peace and President Zelenskyy 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.” Trump noted that he would “probably” meet in person with Putin in the near term, suggesting that could happen in Saudi Arabia. Trump speaking to Putin sent a potentially dramatic signal that Washington and Moscow could work to hammer out a deal to end fighting in Ukraine by going around that country’s government. Doing so would break with the Biden administration, which steadfastly insisted Kyiv would be a full participant in any decisions made. Asked specifically about Ukraine being an equal member in the peace process, Trump responded, “Interesting question. I think they have to make peace.”
In another blow to Ukraine’s Western-leaning aspirations, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said at NATO headquarters in Brussels that NATO membership was unrealistic for Ukraine. “I don’t think it’s practical to have it, personally,” Trump said later about NATO membership for Ukraine. He added that Hegseth had said “it’s unlikely or impractical. I think probably that’s true.” After Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the Biden administration joined other NATO members in vowing that membership in the Western military alliance was “inevitable.” Trump said Wednesday of Russia: “I think long before President Putin, they said there’s no way they’d allow that.”
”They’ve been saying that for a long time that Ukraine cannot go into NATO,” Trump said. “And I’m OK with that.” Response from Zelenskyy and the Kremlin. Despite all that, Zelenskyy sought to put a brave face on what many in Ukraine will see as a major disappointment. In a social media post, he said he had “a meaningful conversation” with Trump that included discussion of “opportunities to achieve peace” and Kyiv’s “readiness to work together at the team level.”
“I am grateful to President Trump,” he said.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the conversation between Trump and Putin covered a good deal of ground, including the Middle East and Iran, but that Ukraine was the main focus. Peskov said Trump called for a quick cessation of hostilities and a peaceful settlement, and that “President Putin, in his turn, emphasized the need to remove the root causes of the conflict and agreed with Trump that a long-term settlement could be achieved through peace talks.” “The Russian president supported one of the main theses of the U.S. president that the time has come for our two countries to work together,” Peskov told reporters. “The Russian president invited the U.S. president to visit Moscow and expressed readiness to host U.S. officials in Russia for issues of mutual interest, naturally including Ukraine, the Ukrainian settlement.”
In the meantime, Ukraine has offered to strike a deal with Trump for continued American military aid in exchange for developing Ukraine’s mineral industry — which could provide a valuable source of the rare earth elements that are essential for many kinds of technology. Trump suggested that aid would continue to flow but that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent was in Ukraine working to get written assurances that the U.S. would get access to its rare earth elements and oil and gas. “We’re asking for security on our money,” Trump said, noting of Ukraine: “They’ve agreed to it.”
Zelenskyy tweeted earlier about the meeting with Bessent, saying “we value our partnership with the United States” and “strive to expand our joint capabilities.” Asked about Trump’s views on Russia and Putin, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said, “I believe this nation views Putin and Russia as a great competitor in the region. At times, an adversary.” But she also noted of Trump: “At times, he enjoys having good diplomatic relationships with leaders around the world.” Working more closely with Putin on Ukraine defies the long-held stance of Biden, who, together with his top national security aides, repeatedly insisted, “Nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine.” Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Trump’s special Russia-Ukraine envoy, retired Gen. Keith Kellogg, will all be in Germany this week for the annual Munich Security Conference, which Zelenskyy also will attend.
Calls follow US-Russia prisoner exchange
Wednesday’s Trump-Putin call, and the resulting policy sea change, followed a prisoner swap that resulted in Russia releasing Pennsylvania schoolteacher Marc Fogel after more than three years of detention in return for convicted Russian criminal Alexander Vinnik. The White House described the prisoner swap as evidence of a diplomatic thaw that could advance negotiations to end the fighting in Ukraine. In a social media post detailing his call with Putin, Trump wrote, “We each talked about the strengths of our respective Nations, and the great benefit that we will someday have in working together.” Trump also noted they “agreed to have our respective teams start negotiations immediately.” The president appointed Rubio, CIA director John Ratcliffe, national security adviser Michael Waltz and his special Mideast envoy Steven Witkoff to lead those talks.
Fogel, who was deemed wrongfully detained by Russia, was arrested in August 2021 for possession of marijuana and was serving a 14-year prison sentence. He had been left out of previous prisoner swaps with Russia that were negotiated by the Biden administration. Vinnik — the other person involved, according to two U.S. officials — was arrested in 2017 in Greece at the request of the U.S. on cryptocurrency fraud charges and was later extradited to the United States, where he pleaded guilty last year to conspiracy to commit money laundering. He is in custody in California awaiting transport to Russia, the officials said. The Kremlin confirmed that a Russian citizen was freed in the United States in exchange for Fogel but refused to identify him until he arrives in Russia. Trump welcomed Fogel at the White House on Tuesday evening after his return to the U.S. on Witkoff’s personal plane.
