Former U.S. President Donald Trump said that he and Russian President Vladimir Putin have decided to start discussions about ending the war between Russia and Ukraine. This news came after a phone call between the two leaders on Wednesday. Trump mentioned that both leaders agreed it was important for their countries to work together to help bring peace to the region.

Negotiations on ending the conflict

During his phone call, Trump shared details of the conversation, saying, “We each talked about the strengths of our respective nations and the great benefit that we will someday have in working together.” He added that both leaders were committed to starting negotiations to end the war, with an emphasis on stopping the millions of deaths occurring in the conflict. Trump emphasised, "But first, as we both agreed, we want to stop the millions of deaths taking place in the war with Russia/Ukraine."

Trump also mentioned that both leaders had agreed to have their teams begin immediate negotiations and that they would inform Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy about their conversation. However, White House officials chose not to clarify whether Ukraine would be directly involved in these U.S.-Russia negotiations.

The phone call between Trump and Putin happened after a prisoner exchange between the U.S. and Russia. As part of the deal, Russia released Marc Fogel, an American teacher who had been in jail in Russia for over three years because of drug charges. In exchange, Russia got Alexander Vinnik, a Russian man who had been convicted of fraud related to cryptocurrency. Vinnik was arrested in Greece in 2017 at the request of the U.S. and was sent to the U.S., where he admitted to money laundering. He is now in custody in California.

Trump welcomed Marc Fogel back to the U.S. and met him at the White House. Fogel had been in prison in Russia for a 14-year sentence since his arrest in 2021. The U.S. government said he was wrongfully detained. His release, according to the White House, was seen as a sign of improving relations between the U.S. and Russia. This could lead to talks to try to end the war in Ukraine.

Trump, speaking to reporters at the White House, suggested that Fogel’s release could serve as a catalyst for ending the war. He said, “We were treated very nicely by Russia, actually. I hope that’s the beginning of a relationship where we can end that war.”

Putin invites Trump to Moscow

The U.S. government was hopeful but careful about the possibility of peace talks. The Kremlin (Russian government) also saw the prisoner swap as a way to build trust between the two countries. Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for President Putin, said that Putin had invited Trump to Moscow to talk about different issues, including the war in Ukraine. Peskov also mentioned that Putin was willing to host American officials in Russia to discuss topics that both countries are interested in.

“The Russian president invited the U.S. president to visit Moscow and expressed his readiness to receive American officials in Russia in those areas of mutual interest, including, of course, the topic of the Ukrainian settlement,” Peskov explained. “Putin and Trump also agreed to continue personal contacts, including arranging a face-to-face meeting.”

Trump's commitment to ending the war

Trump has always said he wants to end the war in Ukraine. He plans to meet with Putin in the future to discuss a peace deal. Trump often refers to his 1987 book, Trump: The Art of the Deal, to explain how he negotiates and makes deals. While there is no set date or place for a meeting with Putin, his willingness to talk is seen as a move toward solving the problem.

Trump believes that through negotiations, he can end the war. He thinks his approach could help reach a solution, but it is still unclear how successful these talks will be.

Right now, it’s unclear how the U.S., Russia, and Ukraine will move forward with talks. The war has caused a lot of damage to both countries and the world. How these talks go will be important for peace and safety worldwide.

Everyone is watching closely to see if these talks will lead to peace or if there will be more challenges ahead in ending the war.

Read: India defeats England by 142 runs in 3rd ODI, completing a 3-0 whitewash