President Donald J. Trump announced that he has concluded a two-hour call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. According to Trump, the conversation was positive and focused on negotiations for a ceasefire and an end to the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine. He stated, "The conditions for that will be negotiated between the two parties, as it can only be, because they know details of a negotiation that nobody else would be aware of."
Trump emphasized that the tone of the conversation was constructive, noting, "If it wasn’t, I would say so now, rather than later." He also highlighted Russia's interest in engaging in large-scale trade with the United States once peace is restored. "There is a tremendous opportunity for Russia to create massive amounts of jobs and wealth," Trump said.
Negotiations between Russia and Ukraine are set to begin immediately. Trump informed several world leaders about this development during a follow-up call. Among those notified were Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and Finnish President Alexander Stubb.
The Vatican has expressed interest in hosting these negotiations. As Trump put it succinctly: "Let the process begin!"