Trump Agrees to Immediate Peace Talks with Putin and Zelensky on Ukraine War

U.S. President Donald Trump has agreed to initiate negotiations to end the Ukraine war after consecutive phone calls with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

On the 12th (local time), President Trump announced via his social media platform, Truth Social, that he agreed to start peace negotiations immediately during a call with President Putin. He also stated that he drew a commitment to peace from President Zelensky in a subsequent call.

President Trump said, "We agreed that we want to stop the millions of deaths caused by the war." He added, "We agreed to work closely, including mutual visits with Putin," and "We agreed to have both sides' negotiation teams start negotiations immediately for peace."

He instructed Secretary of State Marco Rubio, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff to lead the negotiations, adding, "I have a strong feeling that the negotiations will succeed."

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov also confirmed to Russian media, including TASS, that the two leaders spoke on the phone for nearly 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Spokesperson Peskov stated, "President Trump agreed on the need to cease hostilities quickly and resolve the issue peacefully, while President Putin mentioned the need to eliminate the causes of the conflict."

He continued, "The two leaders agreed to continue contact, including a direct meeting, and President Putin is ready to welcome U.S. officials, including inviting President Trump to visit Moscow."

After finishing the call with President Putin, President Trump also spoke with President Zelensky. Following the call with President Zelensky, President Trump described it as "very well conducted," explaining, "He, like Putin, wants peace."

Regarding the Munich Security Conference to be held in Munich, Germany, from the 14th to the 16th, President Trump stated, "I hope the outcome of the conference will be positive," adding, "It's time to stop this foolish war."

Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio will lead the U.S. delegation at the Munich Security Conference, where the U.S. scenario for ending the Ukraine war is expected to be announced.

Recently, the U.S. and Russia agreed on a prisoner exchange accepted by both countries. With the atmosphere of improving relations between the two countries, President Trump's agreement with President Putin to start peace negotiations and the positive response from President Zelensky on ending the war and building peace are expected to accelerate discussions and negotiations to end the Ukraine war.

Reporter Yonghyun Shin, Hankyung.com yonghyun@hankyung.com