Trump Opens Direct Talks With Putin and Other Headlines of the Day

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Top of the Agenda

The U.S. and Russia will “immediately” start talks on ending the war in Ukraine, U.S. President Donald Trump said yesterday after a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy shortly after to discuss “the possibilities of achieving peace,” Zelenskyy said. Trump’s proposal of direct, in-person talks—with no mention they would include Ukraine or European allies—was a sharp U.S. shift on a Ukrainian war effort that Washington has backed with tens of billions of dollars. The Joe Biden administration and NATO allies had sought to isolate Putin economically and diplomatically since his 2022 invasion. 
 

A new U.S. stance. Trump’s conversations with Putin and Zelenskyy came just hours after U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth outlined U.S. positions to NATO allies gathered in Brussels. Hegseth said that a return to Ukraine’s pre-2014 borders was “unrealistic” and that NATO membership for Ukraine should not be part of a peace deal. Security guarantees would come from “capable European and non-European troops,” Hegseth said, but none from the United States. Any peacekeeping forces should not be covered by NATO’s Article 5—which states that an armed attack on any NATO member is viewed as an attack on all allies—he added.

Nations react.

• European reactions ranged from the United Kingdom (UK) affirming it would step up on regional security to Germany saying Ukraine must be included in decision-making. While Zelenskyy was diplomatic toward Trump, the head of the foreign relations committee in Ukraine’s parliament called Hegseth’s comments “illogical.”

• “We are defining our joint steps with America to halt Russian aggression and ensure a reliable, lasting peace,” Zelenskyy said after his call with Trump. Earlier in the day, he discussed a potential security and economic partnership with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

• Putin’s spokesperson said a “long-term solution can be achieved through peace negotiations” but that it was “essential to settle the reasons for the conflict.”

• Seven European countries and the European Commission said in a joint statement that the “shared objectives should be to put Ukraine in a position of strength,” and demanded that Ukraine and Europe be part of any negotiations.

What comes next. Trump said yesterday that his U.S. negotiating team would include Secretary of State Marco Rubio, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, National Security Advisor Michael Waltz, and Middle East special envoy Steve Witkoff. He did not include his previously named Russia and Ukraine envoy, Keith Kellogg, as part of that list. European allies will have further chances to respond to the Trump administration’s position at today’s NATO meeting and at the Munich Security Conference, which begins tomorrow. Trump said he expects Zelenskyy to meet with Vice President JD Vance and Rubio in Munich.

“The phase in which Vladimir Putin was a pariah, from the American perspective, that seems to be over. And the potentially—emphasize potentially—good news is that obviously it allows for negotiations over Ukraine. It allows the nuclear arms control negotiations to resume, because the current agreements expire in less than a year...the sequencing and the way it was packaged, as though the two big leaders spoke and next we’ll get to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, is unfortunate, because it does raise the specter of a deal being crafted over his head,” CFR President Emeritus Richard Haass tells CNN.

Across the Globe

Modi’s White House moment. Trump’s meeting with Modi today is expected to offer signals about a bilateral partnership that consecutive U.S. administrations have nurtured in order to counter China. Modi’s early overtures to Trump have included slashing tariffs and pledging to accept deportees and increase purchases of U.S. energy. Still, Trump has repeatedly criticized India for protectionism. This morning, Trump said he would announce plans today for reciprocal tariffs on nations that impose duties on U.S. goods.

Hamas greenlights Saturday release. Hamas said it will free Israeli hostages on Saturday as previously planned in the cease-fire deal. The announcement walked back the group’s threat to pause the releases—which had in turn had prompted an Israeli threat to resume fighting. After talks with mediators, Hamas said it was in contact with Qatari leadership about increasing humanitarian supplies into Gaza. 

Canadian premiers in Washington. All thirteen Canadian premiers were in Washington yesterday to make the case against the imposition of U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods. They met with labor leaders, lawmakers, and administration officials. Proposed tariffs would hurt both countries’ abilities to effectively compete with China, the Canadian officials said. Ontario Premier Doug Ford said that a wide swath of U.S. political leaders privately told him they oppose the tariffs.

Kazakhstan’s ‘foreign agent’ bill. The country’s lawmakers proposed establishing restrictions on “foreign agents.” While details of the bill were not immediately published, similar laws in Russia and former Soviet countries have been used to target dissent and create logistical barriers to groups receiving foreign funding. Georgia adopted such a law last year.

UK tightens citizenship policy. New guidelines tell immigration officers to reject naturalization claims from people who arrived on small boats, concealed in vehicles, or via other “dangerous” journeys. Previously, migrants who arrived irregularly were required to wait ten years before being considered for citizenship. Migrant rights groups and some lawmakers criticized the policy, which one immigration lawyer called a “clear breach of the Refugee Convention.”

Russia’s overseas bases. Russia and Sudan made a final agreement to move forward with a Russian naval base on Sudan’s Red Sea coast, Sudan’s foreign minister said. This move comes as the future of a Russian naval base in northwestern Syria—a hub for Middle East and Africa operations—is uncertain after the December rebel overthrow of former Syrian leader and Russian ally Bashar al-Assad. Yesterday, Putin spoke to Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa for the first time since the takeover. The Kremlin called the discussion with al-Sharaa “constructive” without providing details.

Belarus frees prisoners. Those released were an American, a Belarussian journalist for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, and an opposition supporter. The White House announced the releases without identifying the individuals. Belarussian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya thanked Trump and Rubio for “joint efforts” to secure them. Belarussian leader Aleksandr Lukashenko has pardoned more than 250 people since last July in what analysts call an attempt to improve relations with Western countries.

India-France nuclear reactors. The countries will work together to develop small modular nuclear reactors and advanced modular reactors for civil use, India’s foreign ministry said. The technology can be built in one location and assembled and used elsewhere. The Modi administration has been known for tight controls on nuclear power, but this month announced new nuclear energy targets and plans to modify a strict nuclear liability law.

The Day Ahead

• France hosts an international conference on Syria’s future.

• The UN Security Council discusses Yemen.

• The U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee holds a hearing on the changes at USAID.

• The Berlin International Film Festival begins.