Trump Tells New York Post He's Spoken With Putin About Ukraine

U.S. President Donald Trump said he's spoken with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, reportedly discussing ways to resolve Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which is nearing its third anniversary.

In an interview published on February 8 by The New York Post, Trump did not indicate when the conversation occurred or give further details as to the content of their talks. The Post said the interview was conducted on February 7 while Trump was traveling on Air Force One, the presidential plane.

"He wants to see people stop dying," Trump was quoted as saying.

"Every day people are dying. This war is so bad in Ukraine. I want to end this damn thing," he said, adding that he "better not say" when asked how many times the two leaders had spoken.

“I always had a good relationship with Putin," he said.

RFE/RL sent an e-mail to the White House seeking confirmation of the report but did not receive an immediate response.

In Moscow, however, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov suggested it was possible the two men had spoken and that he had been made aware of it.

"As the administration in Washington carries out its work, many different types of communications emerge, and these communications are conducted through various channels," Peskov told reporters on February 9.

"Of course, against the backdrop of these many communications, I personally may not know something or be unaware of something. Therefore, in this case, I cannot confirm nor deny it."

Even before taking office on January 20, Trump vowed to bring an end to the conflict, which has killed or wounded more than 1 million soldiers on both sides, according to Western estimates.

Trump's top national-security aides have publicly indicated that U.S. officials would seek to both coerce and induce Moscow and Kyiv to come to the bargaining table for cease-fire talks.

When asked on NBC's Meet The Press on February 9 about Trump's claim to have spoken with Putin, National Security Adviser Mike Waltz did not directly answer the question, but he did say there is a need to "get all sides of the table and end this war."

He added that the United States needs to "recoup" its costs in Ukraine by partnering with Ukraine "in terms of their rare earths, their natural resources, and their oil and gas."

The lead White House envoy for Russia and Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, is expected to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the Munich Security Conference, which opens on February 14.

Trump, meanwhile, said on February 7 that he is likely to meet with Zelenskyy next week, as U.S. efforts to end the war in Ukraine gather force. He gave no details, but said the meeting could be held in Washington as "I'm not going to Kyiv."

Trump and members of his administration have provided few details about any specific proposal for ending the war, but Kellogg said recently that both sides would have to "give a little bit," meaning make compromises.

In Kyiv, meanwhile, Ukrainian officials have watched warily as pressure builds for talks between Moscow and Kyiv, most likely with U.S. oversight.

Until recently, Putin had said he considered Zelenskyy to be a illegitimate president and would not negotiate with him, though he has since softened that stance.

The report of the interview comes ahead of an expected meeting between U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance and Zelenskyy during the Munich Security Conference.

Zelenskyy has voiced confidence that Trump can pressure Putin into ending the war, which began with Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022.

In an interview with British broadcaster ITV on February 7, Zelenskyy said talks between Ukraine and Russia are possible, but only if the West doesn't abandon Kyiv.

"If I had the understanding that America and Europe would not abandon us, and that they would support us and give us security guarantees, then I would be ready for any format of negotiations," Zelenskyy said.

In a separate part of the interview with the New York Post, Trump said he would "like a deal done with Iran" over its nuclear program to avoid an escalation of tensions with Tehran.

Trump refused to give any details on what any deal with Iran would look like.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on February 7 dismissed the prospect of nuclear talks with the United States, insisting that negotiations would not address Iran's problems.

Days earlier, Trump had talked of making a deal where Iranians could "get on" with their lives.

On February 4, Trump signed an order to restore his "maximum economic pressure" policy on Iran aimed at hurting its oil exports and slowing its nuclear program, which Tehran claims is for civilian purposes.