By Tyler Durden ZeroHedge
Update (1330 ET): Just on the heels of the historic Putin call, President Trump has revealed an outline of his call with Ukraine’s President Zelensky, calling it a “meaningful conversation”. He had earlier vowed to inform Zelensky of the contents of the Putin phone call, at a moment European allies are stressing that there can be no peace deal without Ukraine’s direct input and participation.
- Trump: a meeting with Vance, Rubio, Zelensky being set up on Friday
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- No Ukraine deal without Ukraine and Europeans: French, German, Spanish FMs
Trump has pledged that talks to end the war will start immediately. Wednesday marks the first known conversation between Trump and Putin since the new US president entered office last month.
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US President Trump and Russian President Putin held a nearly hour-and-a-half call this morning which the US president described as “lengthy and highly productive.”
Trump said on Truth Social that both leaders had extended invitations of “visiting each other’s nations,” while, the US leader said he would be calling Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky “right now” to inform him about the call.
President Trump took to his Truth Social account to explain what was discussed (emphasis ours):
I just had a lengthy and highly productive phone call with President Vladimir Putin of Russia.
We discussed Ukraine, the Middle East, Energy, Artificial Intelligence, the power of the Dollar, and various other subjects. 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!
We each talked about the strengths of our respective Nations, and the great benefit that we will someday have in working together.
But first, as we both agreed, we want to stop the millions of deaths taking place in the War with Russia/Ukraine.
President Putin even used my very strong Campaign motto of, “COMMON SENSE.”
We both believe very strongly in it. We agreed to work together, very closely, including visiting each other’s Nations. We have also agreed to have our respective teams start negotiations immediately, and we will begin by calling President Zelenskyy, of Ukraine, to inform him of the conversation, something which I will be doing right now.
I have asked Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Director of the CIA John Ratcliffe, National Security Advisor Michael Waltz, and Ambassador and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, to lead the negotiations which, I feel strongly, will be successful.
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.
No more lives should be lost!
I want to thank President Putin for his time and effort with respect to this call, and for the release, yesterday, of Marc Fogel, a wonderful man that I personally greeted last night at the White House.
I believe this effort will lead to a successful conclusion, hopefully soon!
Most significantly, Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has announced immediately on the heels of Trump’s statement that President Putin has invited Trump for an official state visit to Moscow.
Below are breaking newswire headlines from the Russian side:
PUTIN INVITES TRUMP TO VISIT MOSCOW DURING PHONE CALL, EXPRESSES READINESS TO RECEIVE U.S. OFFICIALS IN RUSSIA – PESKOV
PUTIN SPOKE OF NEED TO ELIMINATE ROOT CAUSES OF UKRAINE CONFLICT IN PHONE CALL WITH TRUMP, AGREED THAT LASTING SETTLEMENT
PESKOV: TRUMP ASSURES PUTIN THAT U.S. FULFILLING ALL AGREEMENTS REACHED WITH REGARD TO SWAP OF RUSSIAN, U.S. CITIZENS
Just the night prior, American school teacher Marc Fogel arrived in Washington, fresh out of a 3+ year stint in Russian prison, after a successful prisoner exchange. Walz has declared this an act of good faith from Putin. What’s clear is that things are moving fast.
Ukraine dollar bonds are rallying on news of the call, and have seen price rise dramatically since the restructuring last year – and since Trump was elected….
So it seems the market is growing more optimistic now that peace is close.
Polymarket’s odds of Trump ending the war within 90 days are also rising…
At the same time, Pete Hegseth is in Brussels and has declared that NATO membership for Ukraine is off the table.
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Geopolitical observer Arnaud Bertrand writes…
This is a monumental shift: the U.S. finally renounces NATO membership for Ukraine after 17 years of trying… This is no cause for celebration, it’s tragic really: had this position been taken in late 2021 instead of doubling down on NATO expansion, the war and its hundreds of thousands of casualties would have undoubtedly been avoided.
And we know the U.S. could have taken this position then, because they do it now. The intolerable cost of hubris, which of course no-one will pay a price for except all those who died in this senseless and easily avoidable war.
Find this article on ZeroHedge.
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Waltz, not that knucklehead Walz!
It’s way past time for Putin to get out of Ukraine. Period.