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US President Donald Trump on Wednesday (local time) held a telephone conversation with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin and revealed that he had a productive phone call with him, where they agreed to kick-start negotiations aimed at ending the conflict in Ukraine immediately.
Other than Ukraine, both leaders also discussed the Middle East, Artificial Intelligence (AI), energy and other subjects. Trump said that he and Putin agreed to have their respective teams start negotiations immediately and begin by calling Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy regarding the conversation. In a post shared on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump stated that he has asked US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Director of the CIA John Ratcliffe, National Security Advisor Michael Waltz, and Ambassador and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, to lead the negotiations. Calling his conversation with Putin on a phone call "lengthy and productive", Trump said that they discussed about strengths of Russia and US and the benefit that they will someday have by working together. "I just had a lengthy and highly productive phone call with President Vladimir Putin of Russia. We discussed Ukraine, the Middle East, Energy, Artificial Intelligence, the power of the Dollar, and various other subjects. We both reflected on the Great History of our Nations, and the fact that we fought so successfully together in World War II, remembering, that Russia lost tens of millions of people, and we, likewise, lost so many! We each talked about the strengths of our respective Nations, and the great benefit that we will someday have in working together. But first, as we both agreed, we want to stop the millions of deaths taking place in the War with Russia/Ukraine. President Putin even used my very strong Campaign motto of, "COMMON SENSE." We both believe very strongly in it," Trump posted on Truth Social. He further stated, "We agreed to work together, very closely, including visiting each other's Nations. We have also agreed to have our respective teams start negotiations immediately, and we will begin by calling President Zelenskyy, of Ukraine, to inform him of the conversation, something which I will be doing right now. I have asked Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Director of the CIA John Ratcliffe, National Security Advisor Michael Waltz, and Ambassador and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, to lead the negotiations which, I feel strongly, will be successful. Millions of people have died in a War that would not have happened if I were President, but it did happen, so it must end. No more lives should be lost!" Trump also thanked Putin for his time and effort for the call and for the release of Marc Fogel. "I want to thank President Putin for his time and effort with respect to this call, and for the release, yesterday, of Marc Fogel, a wonderful man that I personally greeted last night at the White House. I believe this effort will lead to a successful conclusion, hopefully soon," Trump posted on Truth Social. Notably, Russia and Ukraine have been engaged in war since February 2022. While speaking at his annual end of the year news conference in December last year, Putin expressed readiness to discuss the possibility of reaching a compromise in talks with Donald Trump on the issue of Ukraine, Al Jazeera reported. He expressed his readiness to meet Trump at "any time". "I don't know when I'm going to see him. He isn't saying anything about it. I haven't talked to him in more than four years. I am ready for it, of course. Any time," Al Jazeera quoted Putin as saying. Earlier, Putin congratulated Donald Trump on winning the US presidential poll and said that Moscow is ready to have dialogue with the Republican president-elect. "I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate him on his victory in the US presidential election. I have already said that we will work with any head of state who is trusted by the American people," Putin said while addressing the plenary session of the Valdai International Discussion Club in Sochi on November 7. As per Al Jazeera, these were the first public remarks from Putin since Trump's victory. He had also praised Trump for displaying courage during the assassination attempt at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 14. "He behaved, in my opinion, in a very correct way - courageously, like a real man," Putin said in his address at the Valdai discussion club, Al Jazeera reported. (ANI)
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