U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed a desire for peace in separate phone calls with him. Trump has now ordered top U.S. officials to begin talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine.
Trump’s diplomatic push comes after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth signaled a major shift in U.S. policy, saying Kyiv would have to abandon its goal of joining NATO and reclaiming all occupied territory.
Following an hour-long call with Putin, Trump said the Russian leader was open to a ceasefire "in the not-too-distant future."
“He wants it to end. He doesn’t want to end it and then go back to fighting six months later,” Trump told reporters.
"I think we're on the way to getting peace. I think President Putin wants peace, President Zelensky wants peace, and I want peace," he added.
Trump has appointed Secretary of State Marco Rubio, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, National Security Adviser Michael Waltz, and Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff to lead U.S. negotiations on ending the war.
After his conversation with Putin, Trump spoke with Zelensky for an hour. The Ukrainian president later described the call as “meaningful”, saying they discussed Ukraine’s defense capabilities, including drones and advanced technologies.
Trump said he and Putin expect to meet soon, most likely in Saudi Arabia, though Putin has also invited Trump to visit Moscow.
Defense Secretary Hegseth earlier stated that restoring Ukraine’s pre-2014 borders is unrealistic and that NATO membership for Kyiv is not part of a peace settlement.
"Chasing this illusionary goal will only prolong the war and cause more suffering," Hegseth told NATO allies in Brussels.
Ukraine has long maintained that any peace deal must include:
✔ Russia’s full withdrawal from occupied territory
✔ Binding NATO membership or equivalent security guarantees
However, Moscow insists on Ukraine ceding territory and remaining permanently neutral.
A joint statement from Germany, France, Poland, Italy, Spain, the U.K., and the European Union stressed that Ukraine’s future must not be decided without its involvement. They also pledged to increase military and economic support to strengthen Kyiv’s position.
Meanwhile, Trump’s Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent visited Kyiv on Wednesday—the first Trump cabinet official to do so—and floated the idea of a U.S.-Ukraine minerals investment deal as a post-war economic shield.
Trump’s peace push follows a U.S.-Russia prisoner swap completed on Tuesday, in which:
✔ Russia freed American teacher Marc Fogel, who had been serving a 14-year sentence
✔ The U.S. released a Russian cybercriminal, as part of a negotiated exchange
The Kremlin called the swap a step toward rebuilding trust between Washington and Moscow.
Trump also confirmed that Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Rubio will meet Ukrainian officials on Friday in Munich at the annual security conference, signaling further diplomatic moves.
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UNESCO is preparing to celebrate the first ever World Turkic Language Family Day on 15 December, following a decision by UNESCO’s General Conference...
Azerbaijan and Pakistan are bolstering bilateral ties and cooperation across energy, defence, trade and regional connectivity. This was highlighted at...
Syria has arrested five people suspected of having links to a deadly attack on a joint U.S.–Syrian convoy in the central town of Palmyra on Saturday...
The head of Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service, the foreign spy service known as MI6, has warned that Russia "remains an aggressive and expansion...
Australia vowed stricter gun laws on Monday as it began mourning victims of its worst mass shooting in almost 30 years, in which police accused a father-and-son duo of killing 16 people at a Jewish Hanukkah celebration at Sydney’s Bondi Beach.
China has announced plans to fully cover childbirth-related costs for families as authorities move to incentivise young couples to have more children.
UNESCO is preparing to celebrate the first ever World Turkic Language Family Day on 15 December, following a decision by UNESCO’s General Conference in Samarkand establishing the date as an annual observance.
Azerbaijan and Pakistan are bolstering bilateral ties and cooperation across energy, defence, trade and regional connectivity. This was highlighted at a high-level meeting of the two countries’ foreign ministers in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on Sunday, 14 December.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan reiterated his offer to host Ukraine-Russia peace talks in Ankara, at his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The talks took place on the sidelines of the international Forum for Peace and Trust in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, on Friday (12 December).
Russia’s human rights commissioner, Tatyana Moskalkova, has said that Ukraine has not provided Moscow with a list of thousands of children it alleges were taken illegally to Russia, despite the issue being discussed during talks in Istanbul.
Iranian authorities have seized a foreign tanker carrying more than 6 million litres of smuggled fuel in the Sea of Oman, detaining all 18 crew members on board.
An explosive device found in a vehicle linked to one of the alleged attackers in Bondi shooting has been secured and removed according to Police. The incident left 12 people dead.
The latest round of clashes between Thailand and Cambodia has left 15 Thai soldiers dead and 270 others injured, Thailand’s Ministry of Defence spokesman Surasant Kongsiri said at a press conference on Saturday.
Syria has arrested five people suspected of having links to a deadly attack on a joint U.S.–Syrian convoy in the central town of Palmyra on Saturday, the country’s Interior Ministry said.
The head of Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service, the foreign spy service known as MI6, has warned that Russia "remains an aggressive and expansionist threat", vowing sustained support for Ukraine and calling for greater use of technology to protect UK security.
Odesa residents remained without power for a third straight day on Monday (15 December) after a Russian missile and drone strike crippled the power grid on Saturday (13 December).
Fighting along the Thailand–Cambodia border has entered a fifth consecutive day, despite U.S. President Donald Trump claiming he had brokered a ceasefire between the two sides.
World leaders have expressed condolences and solidarity after 15 people were killed in a mass shooting during Hanukkah celebrations at Sydney’s Bondi Beach on Sunday (14 December).
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