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President Trump held a phone call today with Vladimir Putin that he described as “lengthy and highly productive.” He characterized the conversation — the first confirmed talks between the two leaders since Trump returned to the White House — as the beginning of a negotiation to end the war in Ukraine.
The president had promised on the campaign trail that the war would end within “24 hours” of him taking office, and he has told advisers that resolving the conflict is a priority for his administration. For Putin, today’s call marked the collapse of Western efforts to isolate him diplomatically after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine’s president, said he had his own call later with Trump about “charting our next steps to stop Russian aggression and ensure a lasting, reliable peace.” However, the Ukrainians appear to have limited leverage.
Earlier today, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said at a NATO meeting that it was an “unrealistic” objective for Ukraine to restore its borders as they were before 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea and backed a pro-Russian insurgency in eastern Ukraine. Hegseth also said that the U.S. does not support Ukraine’s desire to join NATO as part of a realistic peace plan.
In related news, the fiercest fighting of the war may now be in Russia, where Ukraine clings to a sliver of Kursk as a bargaining chip. The Times interviewed Russian soldiers near the front line.
