Trump and Putin to start talks on ending Ukraine warfare ‘immediately’ | EUROtoday

For free actual time breaking information alerts despatched straight to your inbox signal as much as our breaking information emails

Sign as much as our free breaking information emails

Sign as much as our free breaking information emails

Donald Trump mentioned he and Russian president Vladimir Putin agreed by telephone to start negotiations on ending the warfare in Ukraine and can “work together, very closely”.

Announcing an enormous shift in US international coverage by way of social media, the US president mentioned on Wednesday that the leaders are to fulfill in particular person and their respective groups will begin talks “immediately”.

Mr Trump additionally spoke at size with Volodymyr Zelensky, which the Ukrainian president’s aide described as a “good conversation”.

But it got here as US defence secretary Pete Hegseth dominated out Nato membership for Ukraine – the stance agreed by Britain, Europe, and Joe Biden – and urged Kyiv ought to abandon hope of a return to its pre-2014 borders.

Sir Keir Starmer responded that Britain wouldn’t soften its assist for Ukraine, saying it “needs to be in the strongest possible position” forward of any talks.

Former armed forces minister Sir Nick Harvey expressed dismay at Washington for “ditching support to Ukraine before its hoped-for negotiations have even begun” and mentioned the shift in coverage “smacks of blackmail”.

“It is essential for the democratic world to stand by Ukraine and not consort with its enemies,” he mentioned.

Reform UK chief Nigel Farage insisted it was “probably essential” for Ukraine to affix Nato as a part of any settlement.

US vice-president JD Vance, secretary of state Marco Rubio and Mr Trump’s particular Russia-Ukraine envoy, retired common Keith Kellogg, will all be in Germany later this week for the annual Munich Security Conference, which Mr Zelensky can even attend.

Mr Trump’s telephone name on Wednesday adopted a prisoner swap wherein Russia launched American schoolteacher Marc Fogel, of Pennsylvania, after greater than three years of detention in return for convicted Russian cryptocurrency cash launderer Alexander Vinnik.

“We each talked about the strengths of our respective nations, and the great benefit that we will someday have in working together,” Mr Trump mentioned in a social media publish. “But first, as we both agreed, we want to stop the millions of deaths taking place in the War with Russia/Ukraine.”

Mr Trump mentioned additionally they “agreed to have our respective teams start negotiations immediately”.

Mr Trump’s announcement appeared to dismantle the Biden-era mantra that Kyiv can be a full participant in any choices made. “Nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine,” Mr Biden and his high nationwide safety aides mentioned repeatedly. White House officers on Wednesday declined to make clear if Ukraine can be a celebration to the US talks with Russia.

Even earlier than Mr Trump’s announcement, Liberal Democrat chief Sir Ed Davey mentioned Ukraine being pressured to cede a part of its nation to Russia can be the “greatest betrayal of a European ally” since Poland in 1945.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov mentioned the dialog between Mr Trump and Mr Putin coated a great deal of floor, together with the Middle East and Iran along with Ukraine, which was the primary focus.

Mr Peskov mentioned that Mr Trump referred to as for a fast cessation of hostilities and a peaceable settlement and that Mr Putin “emphasized the need to remove the root causes of the conflict and agreed with Trump that a long-term settlement could be achieved through peace talks”.

He added: “The Russian president invited the US president to visit Moscow and expressed readiness to host US officials in Russia for issues of mutual interest, naturally including Ukraine, the Ukrainian settlement.”