President Donald Trump said negotiations to end the Ukraine war will start “immediately” after holding a “lengthy and highly productive” telephone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The call, the first known conversation between the presidents since Trump assumed office last month, came as Trump makes clear to his advisers that he wants to bring the Ukraine conflict to a swift end.
In a readout of the conversation on Truth Social, Trump said, “We discussed Ukraine, the Middle East, Energy, Artificial Intelligence, the power of the Dollar, and various other subjects.”
“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 wrote.
Trump indicated that he could soon meet with Putin in Saudi Arabia but cautioned that no formal decision has been made on the matter.
“We think we’re going to probably meet in Saudi Arabia, the first meeting,” Trump said, hours after the two spoke by phone.
The president indicated that Saudi Arabian leader Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman would play a role in the discussions, saying, “We know the crown prince, and I think it’d be a very good place to be.”
A date for that meeting, Trump said, “hasn’t been set,” but he said it could be in the “not too distant future.”
Asked whether Zelensky would be in attendance when he meets with Putin, Trump appeared to suggest he would not be present for the initial meeting: “Probably we’ll have a first meeting and then we’ll see what we can do about the second meeting.”
“I would think about going, I’d think about it, no problem,” he said.
