Washington DC, Feb 13: US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin held their first telephone conversation since Trump took office. During the call, Trump pledged to initiate steps to end the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, a commitment he made during his presidential campaign.

Trump announced the discussion on his social media platform Truth Social, stating that Putin had agreed to begin immediate talks regarding the conflict in Ukraine.

“Let’s agree to work closely together, including visits to multiple countries,” Trump posted. He added that a date had been set and that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy would soon be informed about the negotiations.

Trump also noted that he had coordinated with key US officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, National Security Adviser Michael Waltz, and Special Envoy Steve Vitvet.

The Russia-Ukraine war, which began in February 2022 with Russia’s invasion of its neighbor, has caused significant global unrest. Trump has consistently claimed that if he had been in office, the war would not have started, and he has vowed to end the conflict if re-elected.

“We also discussed US-Russia relations and the lessons of cooperation from World War II,” Trump said, emphasizing the historical ties between the two nations.

Trump ended his post by calling for reflection on the shared history between the US and Russia, referencing their cooperation during World War II.