Trump urges Putin and Zelensky to negotiate peace in Ukraine 'immediately'

Resolved, in his own way, the Gaza war, by permanently expelling all Palestinians to create 'the Riviera of the Middle East', Donald Trump now sets out to resolve the other major conflict he inherited, that of Ukraine. With this aim, he called Vladimir Putin yesterday to agree on the "immediate" start of negotiations.

"I am convinced that these efforts will lead to a successful end, hopefully soon!" he wrote on Truth Social, the network he created. Volodymyr Zelensky learned of the news like the rest of the world, through social media, although Trump kept his promise and quickly called him to inform him of the "long and productive" conversation he had with the Russian leader about the future of his country.

Zelensky reported the call via Telegram. "I just spoke with Donald Trump. It was a long conversation about the possibilities of achieving peace and our willingness to work together," he detailed, assuring that they also discussed military capabilities, especially drones.

The Ukrainian president also provided details about his meeting with the US Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent, who presented him yesterday in Kyiv with a plan that conditions American superpower aid on access to rare earths and key raw materials for technological development. "Ukraine wants peace more than anyone," Zelensky added. "We will define our measures jointly with the United States to stop Russian aggression and ensure a reliable and lasting peace. As Trump says, let's do it!" he concluded.

The US president was less courteous with his own special envoy for the Russia-Ukraine war, retired General Keith Kellogg, whom he did not mention when he announced that he had tasked his team with starting negotiations, in which, according to White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt, he himself will be involved. According to his publication, the task falls on Secretary of State Marco Rubio, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, National Security Advisor Michael Waltz, and Special Envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff, who brokered the Gaza ceasefire days before his inauguration.

Witkoff was in Russia on Tuesday, where he is credited with the release of Pennsylvania teacher Marc Fogel, sentenced to 14 years for carrying marijuana for medicinal purposes. The New York billionaire, an old friend of Trump, also enriched by his real estate investments, whom the president has tasked with "assisting with peace", brought the teacher back on his private jet but said he did not know if anything had been given to Russia in exchange for this gesture of "goodwill".

Asked about it, Trump denied that any compensation had been granted to Russia. "No, very little," he said. Yesterday it was revealed through Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov that it was actually an exchange for Alexander Vinnik, detained in Greece in 2017 for cryptocurrency fraud and money laundering.

In light of this diplomatic "success", Putin answered yesterday the first call he has received from a US president since February 2022, when Joe Biden was trying to prevent him from invading Ukraine. "The Russian president invited the US president to visit Moscow and expressed his willingness to receive US officials in Russia in areas of mutual interest, including, of course, the issue of resolving the conflict in Ukraine," Peskov said.

Putin was prepared for the task of winning over the US leader known for the size of his ego. "He even used my powerful campaign slogan of 'common sense' that we both believe in!" Trump boasted on social media. "We have agreed to work very closely together, including visiting each other's nations."

It has been ten years since the Russian leader last traveled to the United States, since Barack Obama received him in September 2015 during the UN General Assembly. One must go back to 2005 to find a specific visit to the White House, when George W. Bush received him 20 years ago. "There is no reason to receive with state pomp a war criminal pursued by the International Criminal Court," protested Evelyn Farkas on CNN, Deputy Secretary of Defense for Russia, Ukraine, and Eurasia during Obama's second term.

Republican and Democratic analysts reacted with horror to the news, not only because of the apparent complicity between the two leaders but also because the United States is giving up its negotiating tools before sitting at the table. The new Secretary of Defense debuted in Brussels by ruling out in advance Ukraine's entry into NATO and the return to the 2014 borders, which his government does not consider "realistic", and sees as a bad start for negotiations. "Pursuing that illusory goal will only prolong the war and cause more suffering," he justified in the framework of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting, which brings together more than 40 countries.

The Pentagon does not even plan to deploy troops for Ukraine's defense when the war ends, a task it leaves to the Europeans, whom it also demands a greater military contribution. "The United States is committed to NATO, but will not tolerate an unbalanced relationship," he emphasized. If NATO troops are used, they would have to be deployed outside Article 5, to avoid activating the mutual defense clause, he lectured.

Today, he is expected to participate in the meeting that the Ukrainian president will hold with US Vice President JD Vance in the framework of the Munich Security Conference, where the US Secretary of State, whom Trump has tasked with being part of the negotiations, will also be present. "We have agreed to stop the millions of deaths that are occurring," Trump wrote.

Satisfied with the outcome, the Kremlin reported the same cordiality in the call but emphasized that both leaders have agreed to also resolve "the root causes" of the conflict, which suggests that the negotiation may be slower than Trump promises.

If there is anything Ukraine can offer Trump, it is energy resources. The US president has expressed his interest in obtaining $500 billion in rare earth minerals, as well as lithium, titanium, and uranium, to continue guaranteeing his defensive support. Hence the presence yesterday in Kyiv of Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who for now offers Zelensky "a mutually beneficial partnership that includes joint development" of their resources. An offer much more generous than the one made to Palestine for keeping Gaza.