President Trump wants to call Putin to arrange in-person talks: Report

President Donald Trump vowed to end the war in Ukraine on day one in office during his presidential campaign in 2024. That vow has since been revised to Trump’s first 100 days in office, and efforts are reportedly underway to deliver on his promise as a candidate.

What’s the latest?

CNN reported on Sunday, Jan. 19, that sources familiar with the matter told the news outlet that President Trump has directed his advisors to arrange a phone call between himself and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

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The ultimate goal of the phone call is to reportedly secure a face-to-face meeting between the two leaders in the hopes of negotiating an end to Russia’s more than three-year war in Ukraine through a “settlement plan.”

It’s unclear if a date for the phone call has been finalized, but Trump’s national security team reportedly began working on the efforts weeks ago, and Trump has previously said in-person talks are being arranged.

Both Switzerland and Serbia said they would be willing to host the meeting between Trump and Putin. Trump did meet with Putin during his first administration in Helsinki, Finland, and discussed a range of issues.

What’s changed?

Potential direct talks between the two global leaders are a shift from the Biden administration. President Joe Biden avoided talking directly with Putin for nearly three years, under the belief that direct dialogue would do little to end the war in Ukraine.

However, Trump is going with a different approach.

A person familiar with the plans told CNN that Trump’s view is that direct engagement with Putin is exactly what will end the war in Ukraine.

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The bigger picture

As Straight Arrow News previously reported, Biden administration officials have expressed concerns that military aid to Ukraine could face an uphill battle under President Trump, which would be a sharp shift from the Biden administration that gave Ukraine billions of dollars in military aid.

Trump has yet to say what security guarantees he would be willing to give Kyiv or what role the United States could play in a post-war Ukraine rebuild.