US President Donald Trump had a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday. They discussed ending the war in Ukraine.
Trump said that he and Putin agreed to start negotiations to end the war. They also invited each other to visit their capitals. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was told about this by Trump and called it a “lasting, reliable peace”.
Zelensky met with US officials Vice-President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday in Munich. He said he wants a lasting peace.
Trump wrote on social media that the war is “ridiculous” and has caused “massive, totally unnecessary” death and destruction. He invited Putin to meet in Saudi Arabia but did not set a date.
The Russian president extended an invitation to visit Moscow during their nearly hour-and-a-half long call. Trump said it was unlikely Ukraine would join Nato and that some of the land lost in 2014 would be returned.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had earlier told a Nato summit that there was no likelihood of Ukraine joining the alliance, which will be disappointing to Kyiv.
Zelensky has repeatedly argued that any talks on ending the war should include him and Ukraine. However, he did speak with Trump on Wednesday without being present in person.
The Ukrainian president said that everyone wants peace more than Ukraine does. He and Trump agreed to keep in touch and plan future meetings.
This comes as both sides face uncertainty over what will happen next in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.