President Donald Trump said he spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin Wednesday about starting negotiations "immediately" to end the war in Ukraine.
Trump said in a social media post that he and Putin held a lengthy phone call during which they committed to “work together, very closely” to bring the conflict to an end and would meet in person, including perhaps in each other's countries.
It was unclear how closely Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy would be involved. Although Trump held a phone call with him Wednesday, Ukrainian presidential adviser Dmytro Lytvyn said, characterizing it as a "good conversation."
Trump's prioritization of speaking with Russia before Ukraine is a departure from the policy of the Biden administration that stressed "nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine."
Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Trump's special Russia-Ukraine envoy, retired Gen. Keith Kellogg, will all be in Germany later this week for the annual Munich Security Conference, which Zelenskyy will also attend.
However, in a blow to Ukraine's aspirations, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said earlier Wednesday at NATO headquarters in Brussels that NATO membership was not realistic for Ukraine and said that any security guarantees for the country would have to be born by European countries.
The Biden administration had joined other NATO members since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 in vowing that membership in the alliance was “inevitable.”
Trump's announcement appeared to dismantle the Biden-era mantra that Kyiv would be a full participant in any decisions made. “Nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine,” Biden and his top national security aides said repeatedly.
Trump said they also “agreed to have our respective teams start negotiations immediately” and would be alerting Zelenskyy to their conversation. He appointed Rubio, CIA director John Ratcliffe, national security advisor Michael Waltz, and his special Mideast envoy Steven Witkoff to lead those talks.
The war began three years ago when Moscow invaded its neighbor. In response the U.S. and its NATO allies have sent billions of dollars in military aid and other support to Kyiv.
Trump said he and Putin agreed to work closely together and visit each other's nations.
"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," he said.
Trump, who has repeatedly said he wants to end the war in Ukraine swiftly, after hundreds of thousands of deaths, said on Sunday he thought he was making progress toward that goal, though he has not set out how he aims to end the conflict.
Material from Reuters and The Associated Press was used in compiling this report.