U.S. President Donald Trump said he has spoken by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin about ending the war in Ukraine, according to a report by the New York Post. The conversation is the first confirmed contact between Putin and a U.S. president or former president since the war escalated in early 2022.
Trump, who has repeatedly vowed to broker a resolution to the war but has not publicly detailed his plan, described the conflict as a “bloodbath” and said his team has engaged in “some very good talks.”
In an interview aboard Air Force One on Friday, Trump declined to specify the number of times he had spoken with Putin. “I better not say,” he told the New York Post.
“He (Putin) wants to see people stop dying,” Trump said. The White House has not commented on the report.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, when asked by Russia’s TASS news agency about Trump’s remarks, neither confirmed nor denied the conversation. “Many different communications are emerging,” Peskov said, adding that some discussions occur through “different channels.”
The conflict in Ukraine began in 2014 after a pro-Russian president was ousted in Ukraine’s Maidan Revolution, prompting Russia to annex Crimea. The war escalated in February 2022 when Putin sent thousands of troops into Ukraine, calling it a “special military operation.” Russia claims the invasion was necessary to protect Russian-speaking populations and counter what it sees as a NATO threat, while Ukraine and its Western allies call it an illegal land grab.
Moscow currently controls a territory in Ukraine roughly the size of Virginia and is advancing at its fastest pace since the early days of the war.
Trump, the author of The Art of the Deal, has repeatedly stated his intention to meet with Putin to negotiate an end to the war, though no official date or location has been set. Reuters previously reported that Russia views Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates as possible venues for peace talks.
On June 14, Putin laid out his conditions for an immediate ceasefire, demanding Ukraine renounce its NATO ambitions and withdraw from four regions claimed by Russia. In November, Reuters reported that Putin was open to discussing a peace deal with Trump but refused to make major territorial concessions.
Russian officials have urged caution regarding speculation on negotiations with Trump’s team. Leonid Slutsky, head of Russia’s parliamentary international affairs committee, told state media that preparations for a meeting were at an “advanced stage” and that it could take place as early as February or March.
Putin last spoke to then-U.S. President Joe Biden in February 2022, just before launching the full-scale invasion. The Kremlin said that conversation lasted about an hour.
Washington Post journalist Bob Woodward, in his 2024 book War, reported that Trump had multiple direct conversations with Putin after leaving office. Trump did not deny the claims in a Bloomberg interview, saying, “If I did, it’s a smart thing.” The Kremlin has denied Woodward’s report.
Trump also stated that he plans to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy next week to discuss potential solutions to the war. Zelenskyy recently told Reuters that Ukraine is exploring deals to supply the U.S. with rare earth minerals in exchange for continued financial and military aid. Trump maintained that he has a concrete plan to end the conflict but did not disclose specifics. “I hope it’s fast,” he said. “Every day, people are dying. This war is so bad in Ukraine. I want to end this damn thing.”
