President Trump said on Wednesday that he had a “lengthy and highly productive phone call” with Russian President Vladimir Putin and that negotiations to end the war in Ukraine would begin “immediately.”
The president wrote on Truth Social that he and Putin agreed “to stop the millions of deaths taking place in the War with Russia/Ukraine.”
Trump added, “We agreed to work together, very closely, including visiting each other’s Nations. We have also agreed to have our respective teams start negotiations immediately, and we will begin by calling President Zelenskyy, of Ukraine, to inform him of the conversation, something which I will be doing right now.”
Trump said he directed Secretary of State Marco Rubio, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, National Security Advisor John Ratcliffe, and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff to lead the negotiations. Missing from his list was Ret. Gen. Keith Kellogg, who Trump appointed as the envoy to the conflict.
“Millions of people have died in a War that would not have happened if I were President, but it did happen, so it must end. No more lives should be lost!” Trump said. He has repeatedly said the real death toll in Ukraine is in the millions, much higher than what’s been reported.
The president also said he thanked Putin for releasing Marc Fogel, an American who was imprisoned in Russia for possession of marijuana. He was freed this week when Witkoff made a trip to Russia.
The Kremlin confirmed the Trump-Putin call, saying it “was a very long phone call, it lasted almost an hour and a half.”
It’s unclear at this point what sort of deal could be reached to end the war, and Trump has been pushing the idea of a deal for US access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals and other resources in exchange for continued US support.
