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Donald Trump has said he spoke with Vladimir Putin about starting negotiations immediately to end the war in Ukraine.
The US and Russian president discussed the matter on an hour-and-a-half phone call on Wednesday, in which Trump said the pair agreed to “work together, very closely”.
“We each talked about the strengths of our respective nations, and the great benefit that we will someday have in working together,” Trump said in a social media post. “But first, as we both agreed, we want to stop the millions of deaths taking place in the war with Russia/Ukraine.”
Later, Kyiv said the US president also spoke to Ukraine’s president Zelensky about his conversation with Putin.
Earlier on Wednesday, Trump’s Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth, said a return to Ukraine’s pre-2014 borders was unrealistic and the US administration did not see NATO membership for Kyiv as part of a solution to the war.
It comes after Volodymyr Zelensky said earlier that Putin is not preparing for peace and continues to slaughter Ukrainians despite talk of a ceasefire.
Zelensky says Europe’s security guarantees mean nothing without US ahead of meeting with Ukraine-sceptic JD Vance
Alexander Butler12 February 2025 18:00
Zelenksy and Trump speak
Volodymyr Zelensky and Donald Trump have now spoken by phone.
Kyiv said the Ukrainian and US president spoke for around an hour on Wednesday evening.
After speaking with Russia’s Vladimir Putin earlier, Trump said he would be speaking with Zelensky on a separate call.
He and the Russian president discussed beginning negotiations to end the war in Ukraine immediately.
Athena Stavrou12 February 2025 17:52
World leaders respond to Trump’s call with Putin
World leaders have responded to Trump’s phone call with Putin about beginning negotiations to end the war in Ukraine.
Spain’s foreign minister has said that nothing should be decided on Ukraine without Ukraine and Europe.
He told a meeting of foreign ministers in Paris that a war of aggression cannot be allowed to succeed.
Poland’s foreign minister said it would continue its support for Ukraine and reinforce sanctions before the potential talks.
UK defence secretary responds to US’s call for European nations to step up over Ukraine
As we’ve been reporting, the US defence secretary Pete Hegseth has called on European nations to step in relation to Ukraine.
The US president Donald Trump has also previously said the country leaders should up their defence spending to 5 per cent of GDP.
Spreaking at a press conference in Brussels, UK secretary for defence John Healey said: “It was a pleasure in his third full week in the job to welcome Secretary (Pete) Hegseth.
“He confirmed the US’s continued commitment to this group, to Ukraine’s pursuit of a lasting peace and the importance of security guarantees… we heard his call for European nations to step up. We are and we will.
“Nato allies pledged £40 billion euros in military aid for Ukraine in 2024 and then went on to deliver £50 billion. The majority, nearly 60 per cent of that aid to Ukraine last year came from European nations.
“And while at the same time, we did more on Ukraine and will do more, we did more on defence spending and will do more.”
Alex Ross12 February 2025 17:40
Trump has just sabotaged Ukraine’s bargaining power with Russia – who’s side is he on?
Pete Hegseth told Nato defence ministers the US won’t support Nato membership for Ukraine – or most of its peace talk platform – leaving Zelensky little room to negotiate, writes World Affairs Editor Sam Kiley:
Athena Stavrou12 February 2025 17:24
Hegseth won’t commit to US increasing its defece spending to 5% of GDP
During his speech to European leaders in Brussels, US defence secretary Pete Hegseth hinted that the US was shifting its military priorities to defending its homeland and deterring China.
Trump has previously called on European NATO members to do more to defend the continent, including hiking defence budgets to 5 per cent of GDP – level no member has reached so far.
Poland is the closest, spending more than 4 per cent and expected to approach 5 per cent this year.
Speaking to reporters, Mr Hegseth wouldn’t commit to having the US increase its defense spending to 5 per cent of GDP. But he said he believed that the US should spend more than it did under the Biden administration and “should not go lower than 3 percent.”
He said any final decision would be up to Mr Trump, but added that “we live in fiscally constrained times” and need to be responsible with taxpayer money. The US spends about 3.3 per cent of GDP on defence.
NATO leaders are expected to agree on new spending targets at their next planned summit, in The Hague, Netherlands, on June 24-26.
Alex Ross12 February 2025 17:20
Breaking: Trump agrees to talks with Putin over ending Ukraine war
US President Donald Trump has said he spoke with Vladimir Putin about starting negotiations immediately to end the war in Ukraine.
“We have also agreed to have our respective teams start negotiations immediately, and we will begin by calling President Zelensky, of Ukraine, to inform him of the conversation, something which I will be doing right now,” Trump said in a post on his social media platform.
Alex Ross12 February 2025 17:17
What is the Su-57 stealth fighter jet Russia is offering to India?
Alexander Butler12 February 2025 17:00
In five points: What Hegseth on Ukraine
US defence secretary Pete Hegseth said Ukraine should abandon hopes of a return to pre-2014 borders and prepare for a negotiated settlement with Russia during a speech on his first trip to the Ukraine Defense Contact Group in Brussels.
Allies had been waiting to hear how much continued military and financial support Washington intends to provide to Ukraine’s government.
Here is what he said summarised in five points:
- Returning to Ukraine’s pre-2014 borders is an unrealistic objective
- NATO membership for Ukraine is not part of a solution to the war
- US troops would not be deployed to Ukraine as part of measures to ensure peace
- NATO allies that they would have to step up and assume greater responsibility for Europe’s security
- US border security issues and threats posed by China, prevented the US from being “primarily focused on the security of Europe”
Alex Ross12 February 2025 16:40
Hegseth’s comments mark a stark change from Biden administration stance
US defence secretary Pete Hegseth are the clearest indication yet of the Trump administration’s on the Ukraine war.
His comments that Ukraine should not expect to return to its pre-2014 borders will be met with dismay by president Volodymyr Zelensky, while welcomed in Moscow.
They also mark a stark change from the stance of the Biden administration and many of Ukraine‘s closest allies, who had declared they would support Kyiv for as long as necessary and stressed the importance of territorial integrity.
While Trump administration officials had signalled for some time that they would not support those goals, Mr Hegseth’s on-camera remarks made its position clear to the global public.
Though Ukraine set its sights on ejecting all Russian troops from its territory for much of the war, it has increasingly acknowledged that retaking its land by force is unfeasible and that diplomacy is a more realistic course of action.
Alex Ross12 February 2025 16:11
