Trump, Putin ready to negotiate peace in Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump held a phone call on Wednesday, the Kremlin confirmed, during which they agreed to "work together "and expressed their readiness to negotiate peace in Ukraine.

This was the first known discussion between the two leaders since Trump's inauguration on Jan 20.

The call came after United States Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth suggested that Kyiv might need to abandon its long-held goals of joining the NATO military alliance and reverting its borders with Russia to what they were before the annexation of Crimea in 2014.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that during the conversation that lasted one and a half hours, Trump voiced support for a swift cessation of hostilities and a peaceful resolution to the conflict.

Putin agreed that a long-term settlement could be achieved through peaceful negotiations but emphasized the need to address the root causes of the conflict, Peskov said, adding Putin invited Trump to visit Moscow.

Trump stated that he and Putin had agreed to "immediately" begin negotiations to end Russia's special military operation. He described the call as "lengthy and highly productive" and predicted a cease-fire in the "not too distant future".

Trump also noted that Ukraine would need to hold fresh elections "at some point" and said it would not be "practical" to grant Ukraine NATO membership — a key sticking point for Kyiv in any negotiations to end hostilities.

"I think we're on the way to getting peace. I think President Putin wants peace, (Ukrainian) President (Volodymyr) Zelensky wants peace and I want peace. I just want to see people stop getting killed," he said.

China is pleased to see Russia and the US, both major nations with influence, enhance communication and dialogue on a range of international issues, Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said on Thursday.

Speaking at a regular news conference, Guo said China has always believed that dialogue and negotiation are the only viable ways to resolve the Ukraine crisis.

China has always advocated for peace and promoted talks, he said, adding that one day after the outbreak of the conflict, Beijing proposed seeking a political solution to the crisis through dialogue.

"China supports all efforts conducive to a peaceful resolution of the crisis and will continue to communicate with all relevant parties and play a constructive role in promoting a political solution to the crisis," Guo said.

Talks with Zelensky

Trump had promised to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict before taking office and has been advocating for a peace settlement. However, until now, he had remained coy about any potential contact with Putin.

In a sign that Ukraine's fate could be shaped by Washington and Moscow, Trump said, "We will begin by calling President Zelensky of Ukraine, to inform him of the conversation."

Trump spoke to Zelensky following his call with Putin. Zelensky's office said the conversation lasted about an hour. Trump said the discussion with Zelensky "went very well" and that "he, like President Putin, wants to make peace".

Trump added that Zelensky would meet US Vice-President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Munich on Friday.

"I had a meaningful conversation with (Trump). We talked about opportunities to achieve peace, discussed our readiness to work together, and Ukraine's technological capabilities, including drones and other advanced industries," Zelensky wrote on X.

No peace talks have been held since the early months of the conflict, now nearing its third anniversary. Trump's predecessor, Joe Biden, oversaw billions of dollars in military and other aid to Kyiv but had no direct contact with Putin after the outbreak of the conflict.

Zhao Jia in Beijing and Xinhua contributed to this story.

renqi@chinadaily.com.cn