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Former President Donald Trump has revealed he’s been in direct communication with Russian President Vladimir Putin regarding the ongoing Ukraine conflict, marking the first known dialogue between Putin and a U.S. president since early 2022, according to the New York Post.
While aboard Air Force One, Trump was reluctant to specify the frequency of these conversations, responding that he “better not say” when questioned. During the interview, Trump conveyed Putin’s alleged desire to halt the casualties, stating, “He [Putin] wants to see people stop dying.”
The Kremlin’s response remained ambiguous, with spokesman Dmitry Peskov telling TASS state news agency that “many different communications are emerging” through various channels, neither confirming nor denying the reported conversation.
Just yesterday, I warned about this. Zelensky is a schemer. A couple of days ago, he publicly stated that he was ready for direct negotiations with Putin, and today he is already setting conditions. This is exactly how he will behave with General Kellogg and President Trump’s… pic.twitter.com/rvI68UwUwe
— Denys Yelisevych (@d_yelisevich) February 9, 2025
The Ukraine conflict’s roots trace back to 2014, following the ousting of a pro-Russian president during Ukraine’s Maidan Revolution and Russia’s subsequent annexation of Crimea. The situation escalated dramatically in 2022 when Putin deployed troops into Ukraine, characterizing it as a “special military operation” to safeguard Russian speakers and counter perceived NATO threats.
Currently, Russian forces control territory comparable to the size of Virginia and are advancing at their fastest pace since the initial 2022 invasion, despite Western nations backing Ukraine’s resistance efforts.
Speculation about a potential Trump-Putin summit has intensified, with Saudi Arabia and the UAE emerging as possible venues. Putin outlined his conditions for peace in June, demanding Ukraine’s withdrawal from four Russian-claimed regions and abandonment of NATO aspirations.
☝️ “If they had not stolen the victory of President Trump in 2020 from him, there would not have been the crisis that emerged in 2022” – President Putin.
This phrase says a lot.. pic.twitter.com/mExcTBHiIb
— 🇷🇺Russia is not Enemy (@RussiaIsntEnemy) February 9, 2025
The Russian parliament’s international affairs committee head, Leonid Slutsky, suggested through RIA news agency that summit preparations are well advanced, potentially occurring in February or March.
Previous reports by Washington Post journalist Bob Woodward claimed Trump had up to seven direct conversations with Putin after leaving office in 2021. When questioned about these claims by Bloomberg, Trump responded, “If I did, it’s a smart thing,” though the Kremlin denied these reports.
Trump has announced plans to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy next week to discuss peace possibilities. Reflecting on his relationship with Putin, Trump expressed urgency in ending the conflict, stating, “I hope it’s fast. Every day people are dying. This war is so bad in Ukraine. I want to end this damn thing.”
