Moscow: Former U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a phone conversation on Wednesday, discussing ways to end the three-year-long war in Ukraine. During the call, both leaders expressed their willingness to meet in the future. According to a statement from the Kremlin, Putin has invited Trump to visit Moscow. Trump, in response, emphasized that it is time to put an end to the loss of lives in Ukraine. He has previously stated on multiple occasions that the war would never have started if he had been the U.S. President at the time. Notably, this marks the first direct conversation between the U.S. and Russian Presidents since 2022.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov provided details of the discussion, stating that the two leaders talked about the Middle East, bilateral relations, the ongoing war in Ukraine, and a potential prisoner exchange between the U.S. and Russia. “President Putin invited President Trump to Moscow and expressed readiness to cooperate in areas of mutual interest,” Peskov said. He further added, “Both leaders agreed to maintain direct communication and are open to meeting in person.”
Meanwhile, Trump announced on his social media platform, Truth Social, that he plans to inform Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky about the conversation. “We want to stop the loss of lives in the Russia-Ukraine war. President Putin even used my very strong motto, ‘Common Sense.’ We both firmly believe in it. We have also agreed to visit each other’s countries,” Trump wrote.
