President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that the United States and Russia have agreed to begin negotiations “immediately” to end the nearly three-year war in Ukraine.
In a post on Truth Social, President Trump said he spoke directly with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Both leaders pledged to work “very closely” and visit each other’s countries in the near future.
“We agreed to work together, very closely, including visiting each other’s Nations,” Trump wrote. “We have also agreed to have our respective teams start negotiations immediately, and we will begin by calling President Zelenskyy.”
Trump revealed he has tasked several key officials to lead negotiations on behalf of the United States, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Director of the CIA John Ratcliffe, National Security Advisor Michael Waltz, and Ambassador and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff.
Notably absent from the negotiation team is Gen. Keith Kellogg, the current Russia-Ukraine envoy.
Talks With Zelenskiy
Shortly after his conversation with President Putin, President Trump spoke to Ukrainian President Zelenskyy to discuss “opportunities to achieve peace.”
According to Zelenskyy, the call lasted around an hour and included discussions on Ukraine’s readiness to work with the United States on ending the conflict.
“We… talked about opportunities to achieve peace,” Zelenskyy wrote on social media. “We discussed our readiness to work together … and Ukraine’s technological capabilities… including drones and other advanced industries.”
Zelenskyy also noted that President Trump shared details from his call with Putin. This signals a potential shift in the United States’ approach to facilitating direct dialogue between Ukraine and Russia.
Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Despite early predictions that Kyiv would fall swiftly, Ukrainian forces held the capital, and fighting has since concentrated in the southern and eastern regions. Presently, Russia occupies about one-fifth of Ukrainian territory.
President Trump has repeatedly claimed that, had he been in office in 2022, the war would never have started—and that he could end it “within one day” if given the chance. His latest moves appear to be a direct attempt to fulfil that pledge.
Prisoner Exchange and Military Aid
The announcement of peace talks came just one day after the Kremlin agreed to release Marc Fogel—an American teacher imprisoned on drug charges—in exchange for Alexander Vinnik, a Russian national arrested over a cryptocurrency money-laundering scheme.
This development may have opened a window of opportunity for broader negotiations.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, meanwhile, tempered expectations, telling NATO counterparts on Wednesday that returning to Ukraine’s pre-2014 borders is “unrealistic.” He stressed the importance of “a realistic assessment of the battlefield” to avoid prolonging the conflict.
In a related matter, Trump officials have reportedly explored a deal with the Ukrainian government that would give the United States access to billions of dollars’ worth of rare-earth minerals in exchange for continued American military aid.
Next Steps
Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are expected to meet with President Zelenskiy in Munich on Friday to further discuss the framework for peace and potential agreements involving Ukraine’s critical mineral resources.
President Zelenskyy said he and Trump will “maintain further contact and plan upcoming meetings,” suggesting multiple rounds of discussions lie ahead.
As the talks progress, President Trump and President Putin have expressed interest in visiting each other’s countries.