Trump, Putin agree to talks on war in Ukraine in US policy shift

Jordan Fabian, Bloomberg News on Feb 12, 2025

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President Donald Trump said Russian President Vladimir Putin and he agreed to begin negotiating to end the war in Ukraine, signaling a major shift in U.S. policy toward the conflict.

Trump posted Wednesday on social media that he had spoken to the Russian leader and said that their teams would “start negotiations immediately,” beginning by calling Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy later Wednesday “to inform him of the conversation.”

“We agreed to work together, very closely, including visiting each other’s Nations,” Trump said of Putin. “We want to stop the millions of deaths taking place in the War with Russia/Ukraine. President Putin even used my very strong Campaign motto of, ‘COMMON SENSE.’ We both believe very strongly in it.”

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin invited Trump to visit Moscow and that their conversation lasted almost one and a half hours, including discussion of the Middle East, according to Interfax.

Ukraine dollar bonds extended gains after Trump said he spoke with Putin. The country’s notes are the top performers among emerging-market peers on Wednesday, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Trump’s approach to the conflict differs sharply with that of former President Joe Biden, who did not directly communicate with Putin amid the fighting and focused on providing military and financial aid to Kyiv in order to bolster their leverage in future talks with Moscow.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth earlier Wednesday drew sharp limits on U.S. support for Ukraine going forward. Speaking to NATO allies, he rejected the notion that Ukraine would join the military alliance and spurned the suggestion that American troops be deployed to help guarantee a potential ceasefire in Russia’s war.

Wednesday’s phone call is the first known conversation between the U.S. president and the Russian leader since Trump took office last month. Trump’s efforts to appeal to Putin drew widespread scrutiny in his first term, which was marked by a federal investigation into whether Moscow conspired with his campaign to influence the 2016 election.

Trump said he asked Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Central Intelligence Agency Director John Ratcliffe, National Security Advisor Michael Waltz and special Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff to lead the negotiations for the U.S.

Trump’s call followed the release of American teacher Marc Fogel on Tuesday from a Russian prison, where he was serving a 14-year sentence on drug charges. The U.S. said Fogel was wrongfully detained.

Trump said Tuesday the move was a positive sign about Moscow’s willingness to negotiate over the war with Ukraine, which has been ongoing since 2022.

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—With assistance from Jorgelina do Rosario.