| President Donald Trump repeatedly pledged on the campaign trail to quickly end the Russia-Ukraine war — either on Day 1 or even before he took office. That timeline has come and gone, but a flurry of activity over the last 24 hours — most notably Trump’s calls with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy — could mark the beginning of serious efforts to fulfill the broad, and audacious, promise. Wednesday’s developments also mark the continued sharp turn Trump has taken from President Joe Biden, who was committed to securing an all-out victory for Ukraine. Talks with Putin and Zelenskyy: Trump said that he spoke to Putin by phone Wednesday about ending the war in Ukraine and that Putin indicated he would be willing to negotiate directly with Zelenskyy, Rebecca Shabad reports. Trump said he has tasked Secretary of State Marco Rubio, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, national security adviser Michael Waltz, and ambassador and special envoy Steve Witkoff with leading negotiations with Russia. Dmitry Peskov, an adviser to Putin, said the Russian leader “expressed readiness to receive American officials in Russia regarding areas of mutual interest, including, of course, the topic of Ukrainian settlement.” Trump said that a meeting related to the war, led by Vice President JD Vance and Rubio, would take place Friday in Munich. And he added later in the day that he plans to eventually meet with Putin. As for Zelenskyy, Trump said his call with the Ukrainian president “went very well.” Zelenskyy said in a post on X that he had a "meaningful conversation" with Trump. "No one wants peace more than Ukraine," he wrote. "Together with the U.S., we are charting our next steps to stop Russian aggression and ensure a lasting, reliable peace. As President Trump said, let’s get it done." Hegseth in Brussels: Earlier in the day,Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said at NATO headquarters in Belgium that it is “unrealistic” to aim for a return to Ukraine’s borders as they were before 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea and supported separatists who took over swaths of the country’s east. As Alexander Smith notes, the remarks are the clearest indication yet that the U.S. will support negotiations between Ukraine and Russia in which Ukraine cedes territory that’s already been seized by the Kremlin.
Hostage swap: Meanwhile, the Trump administration agreed to send Alexander Vinnik, a convicted money launderer, back to Russia in exchange for the release of American teacher Marc Fogel, Henry Austin reports.
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