Donald Trump revealed a bombshell phone call with Vladimir Putin (Image: AP )
should “not reward” for his illegal invasion of Ukraine after the US president revealed he had a “lengthy and highly productive” phone call with his Russian counterpart.
Briefing reporters at the White House, , although he did not set out a timeline.
Speaking in the Oval Office, he said: “I think President Putin wants peace and President Zelenskyy wants peace and I want peace. I just want to see people stop being killed.”
“People didn’t really know what President Putin’s thoughts were. But I think I can say with great confidence, he wants to see it ended also, so that’s good, and we’re going to work toward getting it ended and as fast as possible.”
But in a key admission, Mr Trump said he did not think it was “practical” for to join and when asked if the Ukrainians would be equal partners in any peace negotiations, he replied: “Interesting question. I think they have to make peace.”
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President Trump mooted he could meet with the Russian leader soon (Image: AP )
President Trump’s announcement about possible peace talks with Mr Putin has sent shockwaves around the world, with many fearing the Kremlin could be “rewarded” for its invasion.
Conservative MP and former Chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, Alicia Kearns, wrote on X last night: “How this renewed illegal invasion ends, matters. The aggressor must not be rewarded. Their false narrative must not be endorsed.
“Their war crimes must not be brushed aside. A safer Europe requires an end to the march of Putin’s imperialism, it is not just the end of gunfire.”
Olga Tokariuk, from the international affairs think tank Chatham House, also decryed the apparent sudden change of US policy, posting the statement: “By bowing down to Putin’s demands on , is not projecting strength, he’s projecting weakness.
“He is not bringing peace, he rewards and emboldens Putin to be more aggressive. Sacrificing won’t make America great again. It will make the world less safe.”
In London, Deputy Prime Minister told ITV’s Peston programme that the Government and “the whole of Parliament” were united in support for Kyiv.
“We’ll continue to support , and… the Prime Minister was very clear when he answered that question earlier today in the House,” she added.
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President Zelensky of Ukraine said he was “grateful” to the US president (Image: AP )
In a whirlwind day of international politics on Wednesday, UK Defence Secretary John Healey had earlier said welcoming into NATO will take “some time”, and the focus “for now” should be on ensuring Kyiv is in a strong position going into any potential peace talks.
Giving a press conference in Brussels after a meeting of defence leaders from countries across the world, Mr Healey said that ‘s “rightful place” was within NATO, which the country has been seeking to join for many years.
But US defence secretary Pete Hegseth appeared to rule out membership for as a way of guaranteeing its security. He also ruled out deploying US peacekeeping troops in the event of a potential ceasefire.
After hearing US support had apparently crumbled for his nation’s membership of NATO, ‘s President Zelensky said he had “a meaningful conversation” with Mr Trump that included discussion of “opportunities to achieve peace” and Kyiv’s “readiness to work together at the team level.”
He added: “I am grateful to President Trump.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the conversation between Mr Trump and Mr Putin covered a good deal of ground, including the Middle East and Iran, but that was the main focus.
Peskov said Mr Trump called for a quick cessation of hostilities and a peaceful settlement, and that “President Putin, in his turn, emphasised the need to remove the root causes of the conflict and agreed with Trump that a long-term settlement could be achieved through peace talks.”
is also understood to have offered to strike a deal with Mr Trump for continued American military aid in exchange for developing ’s mineral industry, which could provide a valuable source of the rare earth elements that are essential for many kinds of technology.
President Trump suggested that aid would continue to flow but that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent was in working to get written assurances that the US would get access to its rare earth elements and oil and gas.
“We’re asking for security on our money,” Mr Trump said, noting of : “They’ve agreed to it.”
Since ‘s illegal invasion of in February 2022 it’s, estimated more than 40,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed and is thought to have suffered around 800,000 casualties, killed or wounded.
More than 12,000 civilians have been killed in since the war began, according to the UN.