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| Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin have had a lengthy phone conversation. Picture: AFP. |
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Trump, Putin to meet in Saudi for Ukraine peace talks
Joe Kelly, The Australian
Thursday, February 13th 2025
Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin will meet in Saudi Arabia to discuss a ceasefire in Ukraine, with Mr Trump saying he could see a truce achieved in the “not to distant future.” However Mr Trump told reporters he didn’t think it was “practical” for Ukraine to have NATO membership, although he conceded the country “could get some land back” from Russia.
Mr Trump and Mr Putin earlier agreed to “immediately” begin talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine, with the US President already assembling a negotiating team following a phone call with the Russian leader which he described as “lengthy and highly productive.” Mr Trump said that both leaders had also agreed to visit each other’s countries and had “reflected on the Great History of our Nations, and the fact that we fought so successfully together in World War II.”
Mr Trump has also spoken to Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky, and said a meeting would take place in Munich on Friday (local time).
Posting on his Truth Social media platform, the US President said he was asking his Secretary of State Marco Rubio, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, National Security Adviser Mike Waltz and his Middle East Special Envoy Steve Witkoff to lead the negotiations. Mr Trump said he was confident the negotiations would be successful and revealed his discussions with Mr Putin covered the Ukraine conflict as well as “the Middle East, Artificial Intelligence, the power of the Dollar, and various other subjects.”
“We both agreed, we want to stop the millions of deaths taking place in the War with Russia/Ukraine,” Mr Trump said. “President Putin even used my strong campaign motto of, “COMMON SENSE.” We both believe very strongly in it. We agreed to work together, very closely, including visiting each other’s Nations.”
He said his conversation with Mr Zelensky also “went very well” and that Mr Zelensky also “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,” he said. “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. God bless the people of Russia and Ukraine!”
He added: “Millions of people have died in a War that would not have happened if I were President, but it did happen, so it must end. No more lives should be lost! I want to thank President Putin for his time and effort with respect to this call.”
The announcement comes after the Trump Administration secured the release of US teacher Marc Fogel who had been detained in Russia in August 2021 on charges of bringing medicinal marijuana into the country. The release was brokered by Mr Witkoff – a billionaire real estate executive and close friend of Mr Trump – who flew Mr Fogel out the country on his own plane after negotiating the deal in secret. Mr Trump posted on his Truth Social platform that he thanked Mr Putin for his “time and effort with respect to this call, and for the release, yesterday, of Marc Fogel, a wonderful man that I personally greeted last night at the White House. I believe this effort will lead to a successful conclusion, hopefully soon.”
Zelensky demands ‘just peace’
Shortly after speaking to Mr Trump, Mr Zelensky said the call was “very substantive” and that he and Trump had discussed “many nuances -- diplomatic, military and economic. We believe America’s strength is enough -- together with us, together with all our partners -- to push Russia and Putin to peace,” he said.
Andriy Yermak, head of Ukraine’s presidential office, said on television news that Mr Zelensky stressed to Mr Trump that the war must end “in a just peace”. He also said Ukraine’s “independence, territorial integrity and sovereignty” cannot be subject to any compromise. Mr Yermak said Mr Trump and Mr Zelensky had “agreed to immediately start the work of the teams” -- the high-level officials from each side who will try to hash out a deal. The teams will “begin a process of daily work” and Mr Zelensky and his officials will meet US officials involved at the Munich Security Conference in a day’s time, Mr Yermak said. He said the two sides are also working on organising a personal meeting between Mr Zelensky and Mr Trump that he expects “will take place very soon”.
Aftermath
Trump will ‘probably’ meet Putin before the end of the month
AFP
Wednesday Feb 19 2025
Donald Trump has said he will “probably” meet Vladimir Putin before the end of the month, saying he was more confident of a deal to end the Ukraine war after talks between US and Russian envoys in Saudi Arabia. But Mr Trump also backed demands for a Ukrainian presidential election, which has increased concerns a Russian-friendly president would be installed instead of Volodymyr Zelensky.
At the talks in Riyadh, which lasted more than four hours, Russia and the United States agreed to establish high level teams to negotiate a path to ending the war. Washington also noted European nations would have to have a seat at the negotiating table “at some point” after the first official talks since the invasion.
Amid fears that Washington would make serious concessions to Moscow, Mr Trump told reporters the demand for a Ukrainian presidential election “came from me”. Speaking from his Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach the President said: “We have a situation where we haven’t had elections in Ukraine, where we have martial law, essentially martial law in Ukraine, where the leader in Ukraine, I mean, I hate to say it, but he’s down at 4 per cent approval rating, and where a country has been blown to smithereens … If Ukraine wants a seat at the table, wouldn’t the people have to say it has been a long time since they had an election? That’s not a Russian thing, that’s something coming from me and coming from many other countries also.”
He said he was “much more confident” of a deal after the talks in Riyadh, adding: “They were very good. Russia wants to do something. They want to stop the savage barbarianism.” “I think I have the power to end this war, and I think it’s going very well,” he added, chiding Ukraine for complaining it had been cut out of discussions. “You should have never started it. You could have made a deal,” Trump said.
Some European leaders fear Washington will make major concessions to Moscow and re-write the continent’s security arrangement.
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