Trump and Putin discuss Ukraine peace negotiations in “lengthy” call

Former U.S. President Donald Trump held a "lengthy and highly productive" phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, discussing what Trump called the beginning of a negotiation to end the war in Ukraine. Following the conversation, Trump also spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Trump shared on social media that he and Putin "talked about the strengths of our respective nations" and expressed a mutual desire to end the conflict, which he inaccurately claimed had resulted in "millions of deaths"—though estimates put the toll at several hundred thousand.

The call signals a breakdown of Western efforts to diplomatically isolate Putin, as the Kremlin remains under sanctions and political pressure from NATO and allied nations.

Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, speaking at a NATO summit in Brussels, dismissed the idea of restoring Ukraine’s 2014 borders, which would include Crimea, calling it “unrealistic.” He also confirmed that Trump does not support Ukraine’s NATO membership as part of a peace deal, leaving uncertainty over Kyiv’s security guarantees.