Negotiations to end the war in Ukraine will begin immediately, US President Donald Trump announced after a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The call was the first direct conversation between the two leaders since Trump returned to the White House last month.

On Truth Social, his own social network, Trump described the call as “lengthy and highly productive.” He said they discussed a range of topics, including Ukraine, the Middle East, energy, artificial intelligence, and economic matters.

“We both reflected on the Great History of our Nations, and the fact that we fought so successfully together in World War II, remembering, that Russia lost tens of millions of people, and we, likewise, lost so many,” Trump wrote, adding that both leaders agreed to work closely together for “the great benefit” of both nations.

The main focus of the discussion was ending the war in Ukraine, Trump said, adding that both presidents expressed a desire to “stop the millions of deaths taking place in the War with Russia/Ukraine.” Trump also noted that, in a bid to improve bilateral relations, he would visit Russia and that Putin would visit the US.

As a next step, Trump said he would inform Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy of the conversation and the planned negotiations.

Both during and before his presidency, Trump has claimed that Russia would not have invaded Ukraine had he been in office at the time and has pledged to end the war swiftly.

“Millions of people have died in a War that would not have happened if I were President, but it did happen, so it must end,” he reiterated. “ No more lives should be lost!”

To oversee the negotiations, Trump has appointed a team including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, National Security Adviser Michael Waltz, and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff. Keith Kellogg, whom Trump had named as his special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, was not mentioned, suggesting he may have been sidelined.

The call between Putin and Trump came shortly after Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth publicly announced Washington’s changed stance on the war. For the first time, he stated that returning to Ukraine’s pre-2014 borders was an “unrealistic objective” and that NATO membership for Ukraine was unlikely to be part of any settlement. He also ruled out direct US military involvement in peacekeeping and said that any joint mission should not fall under the NATO umbrella or be protected by Article 5.

Hegseth’s remarks represent a major departure from the Biden administration’s approach, which supported Ukraine’s NATO aspirations and provided substantial military aid. Instead, the Trump administration is pushing for a diplomatic settlement, even if it requires Kyiv to make territorial concessions.

However, Ukraine’s position remains firm, with Zelenskiy repeatedly insisting that any peace deal must include the full withdrawal of Russian forces and legally binding security guarantees. He has also ruled out relinquishing any of Ukraine’s territory.