Trump holds talks with Zelensky following his 1.5-hour-long conversation with Putin
Editor's Note: This is a developing story, it is being updated.
U.S. President Donald Trump held a phone conversation with President Volodymyr Zelensky on Feb. 12.
"Just spoke with Donald Trump. Long conversation. About the possibilities of achieving peace. About our willingness to work together. About our technological capabilities, including drones and other modern manufacturing," Zelensky said following the call.
"Ukraine wants peace more than anyone else. We are defining our joint steps with America to stop Russian aggression and guarantee a reliable, lasting peace," he added.
Hours prior, Trump held a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin and agreed that negotiations to end the war in Ukraine will start "immediately."
Chris York
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said both agreed that "we want to stop the millions of deaths taking place in the War with Russia/Ukraine."
According to Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, the two leaders spoke for 90 minutes and Putin invited Trump to Moscow.
Trump added that he had instructed a team including State Secretary Marco Rubio, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and National Security Advisor Michael Waltz to lead the negotiations.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Rubio will meet Zelensky on Feb. 14 to begin official peace negotiations, Trump announced on Truth Social.
"I just spoke to President Volodymyr Zelensky. The conversation went very well. He, like President Putin, wants to make peace. We discussed a variety of topics having to do with the war, but mostly, the meeting that is being set up on Friday in Munich, where Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio will lead the delegation," Trump wrote.
"I am hopeful that the results of that meeting will be positive. It is time to stop this ridiculous war, where there has been massive, and totally unnecessary, death and destruction," he added.
Andriy Yermak, head of the president's office, said that "Zelensky and Trump agreed that teams would immediately begin work to end the war."
Kateryna Hodunova
