Talks between the US and Russia's leaders were held on Wednesday afternoon. Only after that did Trump call Volodymyr Zelenskyj to tell him about the initiated talks.
The news about the negotiations was first announced by Trump on Truth Social, and was soon confirmed by Putin's staff.
The talks are to be initiated "immediately" according to Trump, who added that he would start by calling Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyj.
When the two spoke, Zelenskyj thanked the American during the hour-long conversation.
"I am grateful for President Trump's interest in what we can do together", he writes on Telegram and adds:
"As President Trump said: Let's get this done".
Later on Wednesday evening, President Trump elaborated on his positions when he met reporters at the White House. But first, he said that the first meeting with Putin is planned to be held in Saudi Arabia.
Trump also said that Ukraine needs to hold elections "at some point" and that a ceasefire in Ukraine is not "so distant". He also repeated the US's current stance that it is not "practical" to offer Ukraine membership in NATO.
"Long-term solution"
According to a statement from the Kremlin directly after the phone call, Putin told Trump that a "long-term solution" to the Ukraine conflict is possible through peace talks. The conversation between the two leaders lasted for an hour and a half, according to the Kremlin.
After the conversation, Trump wrote praise about Putin and was pleased that he "even used my motto from the election campaign: common sense".
The Russian leader's spokesperson, Dmitrij Peskov, commented on the conversation by referring to the US leader:
President Trump spoke about the need to end hostilities as soon as possible and to solve the problem through peaceful means.
Putin, in turn, emphasized that the "roots of the conflict" must be addressed in the talks, said Peskov without elaborating on the statement.
Meeting in Munich
The news comes just hours after the US Defense Minister Pete Hegseth said at a defense meeting in Brussels that "it is unrealistic to return to Ukraine's borders from before 2014" and that Washington does not count on Ukraine becoming a member of NATO.
Hegseth will next head to a security conference in Munich, Germany, where US Vice President JD Vance and Volodymyr Zelenskyj will also attend.
Ahead of the planned talks between the two, Trump writes on Truth Social: "I hope the meeting will be positive. It's time to put an end to this ridiculous war".
