Facilitated by Trump, Putin Wants to Negotiate on Ukraine

WASHINGTON, THURSDAY — United States President Donald Trump stated that Russian President Vladimir Putin is willing to hold peace talks to end the invasion in Ukraine. However, the proposed plan has the potential to reduce Ukraine's territory and its role in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

Not only that, Ukraine could be in an unequal position, even disappearing in the negotiation process. This fear was reiterated by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Putin's willingness to negotiate was conveyed by Trump on Wednesday (12/2/2025) local time or Thursday Indonesian time, after they spoke on the phone for an hour. The conversation took place a day after the release of Marc Fogel, an American teacher, in exchange for the release of Alexander Vinnik, a Russian citizen involved in a cryptocurrency fraud case.

"I think we are on the way to peace," said Trump. He stated that Putin and Zelenskyy have expressed their desire for peace. The same goes for himself.

Trump and Putin's discussion about peace negotiations is the second time in the past two weeks. Previously, Trump claimed to have had talks with Putin, but the Kremlin did not comment.

Since his campaign, Trump had expressed his readiness to become a facilitator for Russia-Ukraine negotiations to stop the war. He even promised to resolve the war in Ukraine within just one day after being inaugurated. However, that desire vanished. Trump replaced it with a target resolution time of at least the next six months. On February 24, 2025, the war will have lasted exactly three years.

Trump's efforts to get closer to Putin have also begun with a number of statements indicating his understanding of the Kremlin's policy choices to invade Ukraine. This is related to the expansion of NATO and making Ukraine part of the military alliance.

However, Trump did not explicitly explain the presence of Ukraine and Zelenskyy in the negotiation process. Whether he will sit at the same table with the Russian delegation or be on the other side, represented by the US negotiating team.

When asked specifically about Ukraine as an equal member in the peace process, Trump replied, "That's an interesting question. I think they should make peace.”

Zelenskyy, in a statement posted on X, appreciated Trump’s push for peace talks between Ukraine and Russia. He said he hoped the two countries could work with their colleagues to encourage Putin and Russia to come to the table. “I hope that with the power that the United States has, working with partners, we can push Russia to the negotiating table,” Zelenskyy said.

However, Zelenskyy again warned that the negotiation process should not exclude Ukraine at all. "Without consulting us, I don't think the plan will be completed," he said, in an exclusive interview with The Economist.

The warning about this is similar to Zelenskyy's statement when interviewed exclusively by The Associated Press news agency, Saturday (8/2/2025). He explicitly stated that marginalizing Ukraine in the peace negotiation process would endanger the process and peace in Europe in the long term.

Zelenskyy warned that if the substance of the negotiations does not at all represent the will of the Ukrainian people, there will be no lasting peace for Ukraine, Europe and the world. “If our people are not happy, then what is the achievement? What is the point of peace? I mean, what is the point? Just to show off, for someone?” he said.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin supported Trump's position that it was time for the two countries to work together and invited him to Moscow. "The Russian president invited the US president to visit Moscow and expressed his readiness to host US officials in Russia to discuss issues of mutual interest, including Ukraine, the Ukrainian settlement," he said.

Unlike Peskov, who named Moscow as the venue for the talks, the White House said Saudi Arabia was willing to host Putin and Trump's talks. Riyadh was cited as one of the main actors in the Fogel and Vinnik exchanges that led to the Trump-Putin phone call.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said there are several things that Ukraine must give up in order for peace talks to take place. The first is territorial. Hegseth warned that it is unrealistic for Kyiv to regain all of Ukraine's territory that Russia has occupied since 2014. He also called it a misleading goal.

"We want, as you do, a sovereign and prosperous Ukraine. But we must start by recognizing that returning to Ukraine's pre-2014 borders is an unrealistic goal," Hegseth said, speaking at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, on Wednesday. "Pursuing this misguided goal will only prolong the war and cause more suffering."

Moscow currently controls an estimated 20 percent of Ukraine, including Crimea and four regions in eastern and southern Ukraine. According to open source data, the Russian military only controls 70-80 percent of the territory it controls. Ukraine still controls an estimated 26,000 square kilometers.

Likewise with NATO membership. Hegseth and Trump share the same view that it is unrealistic for Ukraine to become a NATO member. "I personally don't think it's practical to have it," Trump said.

As previously stated, Trump is side by side with the Kremlin on Ukraine's NATO membership. "They've been saying for a long time that Ukraine cannot join NATO. And I agree with that."

Regarding this, Zelenskyy reminded of the potential threat of Russia to Europe. Without Ukraine, Zelenskyy said, Europe will slowly be occupied.

“That means Ukraine is not just defending itself. Ukraine is holding back 1 million Russians. We are holding back 1 million Russian Federation troops just by fighting them. If tomorrow Putin says ‘I will not go to your place anymore, I have gone to Europe’, what will Europe do?” Zelenskyy said.

In a joint statement, Germany, France, Poland, Italy, Spain, Britain and the European Union said Ukraine's fate should not be decided without Kyiv's active participation. They said they were ready to step up support for Ukraine and put it in a position of strength. (AP/AFP/Reuters)