Today at 13:11
U.S. President Donald Trump stated on Wednesday that he has agreed with Russian President Vladimir Putin to begin negotiations on ending the war in Ukraine.
Despite this, Trump assured that aid to Ukraine will continue because otherwise, “Putin would think he has won.”
“And, frankly, we will do this as long as necessary because we don’t want something else to happen, but President Putin now wants peace,” Trump said at a press conference at the White House on Wednesday, February 12.
Speaking to journalists after phone calls with both Putin and Zelenskyy, Trump said that a date for a meeting with Putin has not yet been set, but meetings will take place “here and there.” The first negotiations will likely be held in Saudi Arabia “in the not-too-distant future.”
“The first time we will meet in Saudi Arabia, and we’ll see if we can get something done. But we want to end this war. This war is a disaster, truly terrible,” Trump said.
Trump mentioned that from his phone conversation with Putin, which lasted over an hour in the morning Washington time, he learned that “Putin is very determined.”
Trump also stated that both Zelenskyy and Putin want the war to end with a lasting peace rather than resuming at a later time.
“As President Putin said, he wants this to end. He doesn’t want to end it and then return to fighting six months later,” Trump said. “And I think we will probably achieve a ceasefire at some point in the near future.”
When asked whether Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy would take part in the meeting, Trump responded:
“We will first have a meeting, and then we’ll see what we can do regarding a second meeting.”
When asked if he had committed to traveling to Ukraine, Trump said: “No.” When asked if he would consider going, he replied: “I would think about going, no problem.”
Responding to a question about whether Zelenskyy would be left out of the negotiations, Trump said he does not think so:
“No, that’s not the case, as long as he is there. But at some point, elections also need to be held,” Trump added.
Another question—whether he sees Ukraine as an equal member of the peace process—prompted Trump to pause for thought.
“That’s an interesting question. I think they need to make peace. Their people are being killed, and they need to make peace,” Trump answered.
“I think this was an unnecessary war, one that didn’t need to happen. And they need to make peace, that’s what I think,” Trump added after a pause.
When asked whether Ukraine would have to cede territories, Trump replied:
“They will have to do what they need to do.”
When asked whether the U.S. would continue providing aid to Ukraine, Trump confirmed that they would, “but the money must be secured.”
He criticized the previous administration for “recklessly” sending money to Ukraine, whereas his administration plans to obtain guarantees for repayment.
“Our money will be secured. They have rare earth materials, they have oil, gas, and much more, and we are asking for our money to be backed,” Trump said, adding, “And the Ukrainians have agreed to that.”
According to Trump, Ukraine has received $350 billion in aid from the U.S.
According to the Pentagon, as of mid-January, since the start of the previous administration under Joe Biden (January 2021), the U.S. has allocated over $66.5 billion in security assistance to Ukraine.
“We have provided them, in my opinion, with $350 billion—that’s the real number. You don’t hear that number. And Europe, I believe, has given $100 billion, and they did so as a loan,” Trump said.
According to the Pentagon’s data, the 50 countries of the Ramstein Group (including European NATO members) have provided over $126 billion in security aid to Ukraine since their first meeting at the Ramstein Air Base in April 2022.
Trump added that his administration wants to ensure that aid to Ukraine is not given for free.
He said that U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is currently in Ukraine to secure guarantees in exchange for aid.
“He went there to get a document that will assure us that we will, in some form, get our money back, because we are putting in far more money than Europe, and Europe is in much greater danger than we are,” Trump emphasized, noting that the U.S. is far from the conflict.
Regarding Ukraine’s NATO membership, Trump referred to a statement made by U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth at NATO headquarters in Brussels, where he called the idea of Ukraine joining the Alliance “unlikely” and “impractical.”
“And I think that’s true,” Trump added.
“For a long time, they’ve been saying that Ukraine shouldn’t join NATO, and that works for me. I just want to end the war,” Trump said.
On the question of territorial recovery, Trump again referred to Secretary of Defense Hegseth and unnamed individuals who believe that it is “unrealistic” to expect Ukraine to regain full control of all territories as they were in 2014.
However, Trump added:
“Some of them will be returned.”
