On Wednesday, U.S. President Donald Trump called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a phone call the latter characterized as "meaningful." Zelenskyy explained that they spent their time talking about creating a document for security and economic cooperation between the two countries.
"We had a lengthy conversation on the possible ways of peace, our willingness to cooperate at the team level, and the technological capabilities of Ukraine," Zelenskyy tweeted on X.
Trump also weighed in on the call, pointing out that both Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin wanted to bring an end to the current conflict.
"I just had a great conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He, along with President Putin, wants PEACE," Trump posted on Truth Social, noting that Zelenskyy is set to meet U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Munich on Friday.
Trump Alters U.S. Policy Toward Ukraine
President Trump made a dramatic change in U.S. foreign policy when he announced Wednesday that he and Putin had discussed beginning negotiations toward ending the conflict in Ukraine. This comes following a recent prisoner exchange between the two countries under high-profile arrangements.
Trump broke the news on social media that he had a long conversation with Putin, wherein the two leaders mutually agreed to "work together, very closely" to resolve the conflict in a peaceful manner. He also suggested that there could be a meeting between the two, either at their home countries, as part of further diplomatic talks.
Yet it is still unclear how much Ukraine is involved in these talks.
This policy shift follows a prisoner swap, where Russia freed American schoolteacher Marc Fogel, who had been held for over three years, in return for Russian citizen Alexander Vinnik. Fogel, who was arrested in 2021 on charges of marijuana possession, was released after U.S. government intervention. Vinnik, who was charged with cryptocurrency fraud and money laundering in the United States, was extradited to Russia.
Trump's foreign policy stance is a drastic departure from the Biden administration's position, which was firmly in favor of Ukraine's application to join NATO following Russia's 2022 invasion. It also differs from the previous President Joe Biden's insistence that Ukrainian leadership must be directly involved in all decisions about Ukraine's future.
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