LAST UPDATE | 12 Feb

US PRESIDENT DONALD Trump has said that Russian President Vladimir Putin has agreed to “immediately” start negotiations to end the Ukraine war.

Trump said on social media that he had a “lengthy and highly productive” call with Putin.

Both leaders extended invitations of “visiting each other’s nations”.

In an extraordinary thaw in relations between the US and Russia, the Kremlin separately said the call lasted one and a half hours and that Putin and Trump had agreed that the “time has come to work together.”

Putin also told Trump that a “long-term settlement” of the Ukraine conflict sparked by Russia’s 2022 invasion of its pro-Western neighbor was possible, and invited the US president to Moscow, the Kremlin said.

The Trump-Putin call came after a prisoner swap this week that saw Moscow free US teacher Marc Fogel while Washington released Russian cryptocurrency kingpin Alexander Vinnik.

Trump heaped praise on the Russian president in his Truth Social post, saying that Putin “even used my very strong Campaign motto of, ‘COMMON SENSE.’”

He said they “both agreed, we want to stop the millions of deaths taking place in the War with Russia/Ukraine” — with Trump using an unconfirmed figure for the toll in the war.

“We agreed to work together, very closely, including visiting each other’s Nations,” said Trump.

“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 had asked US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, National Security Advisor Michael Waltz and his Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff “to lead the negotiations which, I feel strongly, will be successful.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said later this evening that he had a “meaningful conversation” with Trump and that they discussed ways to end Russia’s nearly three-year invasion.

“We long talked about opportunities to achieve peace, discussed our readiness to work together at the team level,” Zelenskyy said on social media, adding that he was “grateful to President Trump for his interest in what we can accomplish together.”

Zelenskyy said that Trump “briefed us on his conversation with Putin”.

In his evening address to the nation, Zelenskyy said the call was “very substantive” and that he and Trump had discussed “many nuances — diplomatic, military and economic”.

“We believe America’s strength is enough — together with us, together with all our partners — to push Russia and Putin to peace,” he said.

Andriy Yermak, head of Ukraine’s presidential office, said on television news that Zelensky stressed to Trump that the war must end “in a just peace”.

He also said Ukraine’s “independence, territorial integrity and sovereignty” cannot be subject to any compromise.

Yermak said Trump and Zelenskyy had “agreed to immediately start the work of the teams” — the high-level officials from each side who will try to hash out a deal.

The teams will “begin a process of daily work” and Zelenskyy and his officials will meet US officials involved at the Munich Security Conference in a day’s time, Yermak said.

He said the two sides are also working on organising a personal meeting between Zelensky and Trump that he expects “will take place very soon”.

© AFP 2025