Trump Engages with Putin and Zelensky; US to Initiate Talks to Resolve Ukraine Conflict
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Synopsis
New York, Feb 13 (NationPress) US President Donald Trump engaged in discussions with Presidents Vladimir Putin of Russia and Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, announcing the commencement of negotiations on Friday to resolve the ongoing Ukraine conflict.
Key Takeaways
- Trump spoke to Putin and Zelensky about the Ukraine War.
- Negotiations are set to begin on Friday.
- US officials will attend the Munich Security Conference.
- Calls for peace were echoed by both Putin and Zelensky.
- Concerns over NATO membership for Kyiv were raised.
New York, Feb 13 (NationPress) US President Donald Trump held discussions with Presidents Vladimir Putin of Russia and Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine on Wednesday, announcing that negotiations aimed at concluding the Ukraine war will commence on Friday.
Following his inaugural official conversation with Putin since taking office, Trump shared on Truth Social, "We both agreed, we want to halt the millions of deaths occurring in the War between Russia and Ukraine."
After speaking with Zelensky, he remarked, "A meeting is being arranged on Friday in Munich, where Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio will head the delegation."
They will participate in the Munich Security Conference, a gathering of foreign affairs, defense, and security officials from various nations.
Trump noted that Zelensky, similar to President Putin, is eager to establish PEACE. We covered numerous topics concerning the conflict.
Prior to Trump's discussions with the two leaders, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth dismissed the possibility of reverting to the borders as they were in 2014 when Russia began its incursions into Ukraine.
According to RIA Novosti, Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated, "Trump advocated for a swift conclusion to the fighting and a peaceful resolution to the issue."
Putin emphasized the necessity of addressing the underlying causes of the conflict and concurred with Trump that a long-term resolution could be achieved through peaceful talks.
Trump had previously claimed during his electoral campaign that he could end the Ukraine War within 24 hours of assuming the presidency, yet the situation proved to be more complex, marking this as the initial delayed step toward that objective.
On Tuesday, Russia freed an American school teacher, Marc Fogel, who had received a 14-year sentence for possessing marijuana, which he claimed was for medical use.
In return, the US released a Russian national held in the US.
Establishing the conditions for potentially concluding the Ukraine War, Hegseth stated it was "unrealistic" to revert to the borders pre-2014 when Russia annexed Crimea.
During a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group in Brussels, he asserted that Kyiv should not receive NATO membership as part of any agreement.
He also indicated that the US would not deploy troops for a peacekeeping mission in Ukraine and should not fall under the NATO umbrella.
In his post on Truth Social, Trump mentioned that during the "highly productive phone call," they discussed Ukraine, the Middle East, energy, Artificial Intelligence, the power of the Dollar, and various other topics.
The mention of the Dollar likely refers to his opposition to a currency from BRICS becoming an alternative for international transactions. (India has dismissed the idea of a BRICS currency)
Trump's post highlighted the close collaboration between the US and Russia during World War II and stated, "We each discussed the strengths of our nations and the significant advantages we will eventually gain by working together."
The deepening ties between Russia and China, strengthened by Moscow's isolation following its invasion of Ukraine, have raised concerns for the US, and Trump aims to diminish that alliance.
