Trump Announces Start of Ukraine War Talks After Putin Call

Trump Announces Start of Ukraine War Talks After Putin Call

Former US President Donald Trump has announced that negotiations to end the war in Ukraine have begun following a lengthy and highly productive phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

🔹 Trump stated that both leaders agreed to have their teams start negotiations immediately and invited each other to visit their respective capitals.
🔹 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also spoke with Trump, discussing a lasting, reliable peace.

Ukraine’s NATO Membership Unlikely

Both Trump and his Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth indicated that Ukraine's chances of joining NATO were slim.

🔹 Trump confirmed that some occupied Ukrainian land could be returned but ruled out a full restoration of pre-2014 borders.
🔹 Hegseth stated at a NATO summit that Ukraine’s membership was not likely, a stance seen as favorable to Moscow.

Ukraine’s Response to Trump-Putin Talks

Zelensky expressed concerns that Ukraine was not included in the Trump-Putin call.

🔹 He later spoke with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in Kyiv.
🔹 He emphasized that no one wants peace more than Ukraine and that the US must be part of any security guarantees.

Putin Rejects Land Swap Deal

Zelensky suggested in an interview that Russian-occupied Ukrainian land could be swapped with Ukrainian-controlled areas in Russia's Kursk region as part of a peace deal.

🔹 Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov rejected the idea, stating that Russia will never discuss exchanging its territory and that Ukrainian forces in those areas will be expelled.

Russia-Ukraine Conflict Overview

🔹 Crimea was annexed by Russia in 2014, and since 2022, Russia has occupied about 20% of Ukraine.
🔹 Moscow's attempt to capture Kyiv was thwarted, but air strikes, artillery battles, and drone attacks continue.
🔹 Estimates suggest that hundreds of thousands of soldiers have been killed or injured, and millions of Ukrainians have fled as refugees.