Europe Trump wants to talk to Putin in Saudi Arabia about Ukraine
After almost three years of war in Ukraine, there could be movement in the international efforts to find a peace solution.
13.02.2025, 06:26
SDA
Shortly before the third anniversary of the Russian attack, US President Donald Trump spoke on the phone with both Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian head of state Volodymyr Zelenskyi. It was Putin's first confirmed contact with Trump in his second term of office. A personal meeting in Saudi Arabia is to follow soon.
Meeting in Munich
Before the eagerly awaited meeting can take place, however, a whole series of further steps need to be taken. The first of these: on Friday, Trump's Vice President J.D. Vance and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will meet with Zelensky at the Munich Security Conference.
As in Kiev, there is growing concern in the USA that Ukraine could be pushed to one side in the negotiations. "There is no doubt that Trump wants to negotiate Ukraine's fate for Ukraine," said Democratic Senator Chris Murphy. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and other Western politicians, on the other hand, have repeatedly emphasized that the Ukrainians themselves must decide on possible peace talks and their outcome. Trump said that he did not assume that Zelensky would remain on the sidelines. "I don't think so as long as he's there," the US President added, emphasizing: "Sometimes you have to have elections."
Defense Minister Pete Hegseth put a severe damper on the hopes of the Ukrainians yesterday. He said at a meeting of the Ukraine Contact Group in Brussels that it was practically impossible for the country to join Nato and that the full restoration of Ukraine's borders, which Zelensky had set as a war aim, was unrealistic. This group includes dozens of states, including Germany and the USA, which have so far been Ukraine's two most important supporters and arms suppliers.
Trump's negotiating team
Trump is sending a team to the negotiations with Russia that includes Secretary of State Rubio and New York real estate tycoon and current Middle East special envoy Steve Witkoff. CIA Director John Ratcliffe and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz are also part of the team. Witkoff has already played a key role in the negotiations on the ceasefire in the Middle East. He also negotiated the exchange of prisoners with Russia, which is generally seen in the USA in connection with the Ukraine issue.
The actual special envoy to Russia, Keith Kellogg, will not be one of the US negotiators. He has repeatedly spoken out about Putin's political role. However, Kellogg will visit Ukraine in the next few days, according to the White House.
Meeting at presidential level
A meeting between Trump and Putin is only likely to take place once the talks at diplomatic level have borne fruit. The US President named Saudi Arabia as a likely location for this. This could be followed by reciprocal invitations to Washington and Moscow, he said. However, there should continue to be telephone exchanges beforehand. The two presidents had already spoken on the phone for more than an hour on Wednesday, as Trump reported. "We had a great conversation, it lasted a long time." The Kremlin confirmed the phone call.
"We agreed to work very closely together and also to visit each other's nations," said Trump. Negotiations should begin immediately to end the war in Ukraine. The first thing he would do would be to inform Ukrainian President Selensky of the talks. "I believe that these efforts will lead to a successful conclusion, hopefully soon!"
The message from the Kremlin
The Kremlin said that Putin had declared his willingness to receive representatives of the White House in Russia - also to resolve the Ukraine conflict. "Putin and Trump have also agreed to continue personal contacts, including the organization of a personal meeting," said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. Putin had invited Trump to Moscow.
According to the Kremlin, however, Putin pointed out in the phone call that Russia insisted on eliminating the cause of the conflict. According to Moscow, the Russian war of aggression was caused by Ukraine's aspirations to join Nato and the repression of the Russian-speaking minority on its territory.
There is satisfaction in Moscow above all because of the new line in US foreign policy proclaimed by Pentagon chief Hegseth: rejection of NATO membership for Ukraine and the expectation of territorial concessions. The influential Moscow foreign policy expert Leonid Sluzki spoke of a "cold shower for Selensky". Trump said: "Part of the country (Ukraine) will come back." However, a return to the borders of 2014 - i.e. before the occupation of the Crimean peninsula and the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in eastern Ukraine - is "unlikely".
The Ukrainian perspective
After the phone call with Trump, Zelensky was optimistic that a diplomatic solution to the war against Russia was possible. "We believe that America's strength is great enough to work with us and our partners to force Russia and Putin to make peace," said the head of state in his evening video address. The detailed telephone conversation with Trump had gone well. The US President had also informed him about the content of the phone call with Putin.
USA secures access to raw materials in Ukraine
Selensky also reported on the meeting with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. He explained that a treaty was being prepared that would strengthen Ukrainian security and economic cooperation. The paper should be completed by the Munich Security Conference so that it can be presented to US Vice President J.D. Vance, who will be attending the conference. According to Trump, Bessent is to negotiate a document in Ukraine that assures the USA that it will "get back" the money spent on supporting the country.
During his inaugural visit to Kiev, Bessent handed Zelenskyi a draft contract for the extraction of rare raw materials in the country by US investors. "We worked on the document today, we will do everything so that our teams can take action, agree something very quickly and sign the document," said Zelensky after the meeting. After taking office, Trump had declared that he wanted his country's arms aid to Kiev to be paid for with raw materials.
