Ukraine war: Donald Trump says peace negotiations with Russia to start 'immediately'
Donald Trump says there has been agreement to begin negotiations about ending the war in Ukraine, after holding phone calls with Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
It is the US president's first big step towards diplomacy over a conflict which he promised to end within 24 hours of being inaugurated.
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"We both agreed, we want to stop the millions of deaths taking place in the War with Russia/Ukraine," Mr Trump posted on Truth Social following discussions with Russia's president.
He said the pair would "work together, very closely" towards winding down the conflict and "agreed to have our respective teams start negotiations immediately".
A Kremlin spokesperson said Mr Putin and Mr Trump had agreed to meet, with the Russian president inviting the US leader to visit Moscow.
Meanwhile, Ukraine's president wrote on X that he had a "meaningful conversation" by phone with Mr Trump to discuss "opportunities to achieve peace" and the preparation of a document governing security and economic cooperation.
"No one wants peace more than Ukraine. Together with the US, we are charting our next steps to stop Russian aggression and ensure a lasting, reliable peace," he said.
Mr Trump added that his phone conversation with Mr Zelenskyy "went very well", suggesting that "he [Mr Zelenskyy], like President Putin, wants to make PEACE".
On social media, the US president said: "It is time to stop this ridiculous War, where there has been massive, and totally unnecessary, DEATH and DESTRUCTION. God bless the people of Russia and Ukraine!"
On Wednesday, the US defence secretary delivered a blunt statement on the new US administration's approach to the nearly three-year-old war.
Speaking at a NATO meeting in Brussels, Pete Hegseth said a return to Ukraine's pre-2014 borders was unrealistic and the US did not see NATO membership for Kyiv as part of a solution to the war.
"Chasing this illusionary goal will only prolong the war and cause more suffering," he said.
Separately the US and Russia agreed to a prisoner swap. America freed a Russian cybercrime boss in return for Moscow's release of schoolteacher Marc Fogel, a US official said on Wednesday.
Meanwhile at a White House news conference on Wednesday, press secretary Karoline Leavitt said she was "not aware of" Mr Trump putting any preconditions on his meeting with Mr Putin.
Mr Trump said the peace negotiations will be led by secretary of state Marco Rubio, director of the CIA John Ratcliffe, national security advisor Michael Waltz, and ambassador Steve Witkoff.
-SKY NEWS
