BRUSSELS – Donald Trump said on Wednesday he and Vladmir Putin had agreed to open talks to end Russia’s war in Ukraine “immediately”, after his defence secretary said it was “unrealistic” that Ukraine’s pre-2014 borders would be restored.
As his top diplomatic trio continued their first European tour, US President Trump on Wednesday made an unexpected move and spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Both leaders agreed to “start negotiations immediately” on the war in Ukraine in a “lengthy and highly productive phone call”, Trump said on Truth Social. The encounter is the first publicly revealed between the two leaders since Trump took office.
“We both agreed, we want to stop the millions of deaths taking place in the War with Russia/Ukraine,” Trump wrote.
“President Putin even used my very strong Campaign motto of, ‘COMMON SENSE.’ We both believe very strongly in it. We agreed to work together, very closely, including visiting each other’s Nations,” he added.
The move took Europeans by surprise, mildly speaking.
Hopes that the US side would lay out details of how it intends to make good on Trump’s pledges to swiftly advance peace talks to end the conflict were already smashed before Wednesday’s meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group in Brussels.
The only thing the Trump administration so far had been clear about was it would stop Russian efforts in Ukraine – as long as Europe takes the lead – and directly negotiate with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin.
At the Contact Group – a format formerly chaired by the Americans and now taken over by the UK – several of Ukraine’s Western supporters are expected to make announcements of new military support for Ukraine.
While Washington was widely not expected to make new announcements this week, it nonetheless signalled some major policy shifts.
US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth stunned his colleagues by drawing new red lines on Ukraine.
A return of Ukraine to its pre-2014 borders, before Russia’s invasion of Crimea and its capture of four eastern regions, was “an unrealistic objective”, Hegseth said, adding that “chasing this illusionary goal will only prolong the war and cause more suffering.”
He doubled down by saying US troops won’t be deployed to Ukraine as any part of security guarantees – it was for Europeans “to step into the arena” – and any troops from NATO members would not be covered by the alliance’s Article Five, the mutual defence clause.
A peace deal allowing for eventual NATO membership was not feasible, he added, which runs contrary to the careful language the alliance has so far adopted without taking a definite position on the matter.
“Honesty will be our policy going forward,” Hegseth said.
His brief remarks quickly had ripple effects. One European NATO diplomat described the policy change as akin to forcing Ukraine’s “preemptive surrender”.
Several NATO diplomats told Euractiv they were unpleasantly surprised such statements were coming before Ukraine peace talks had even started – though the comments are perhaps less surprising after Trump’s call with Putin.
European NATO allies had nervously anticipated the first visit of the new US administration – typically an opportunity to gently sniff each other out and find common ground.
But Hegseth, arriving in Brussels on Wednesday, brushed aside the usual decorum and jumped straight to the point.
“Arrived at NATO HQ. Our commitment is clear: NATO must be a stronger, more lethal force — not a diplomatic club,” Hegseth wrote on X. “Time for allies to meet the moment.”
Hegseth’s talk with NATO counterparts and Ukraine are part of a flurry of visits to Europe this week by top US officials, including the AI Summit in Paris and, later this week, the Munich Security Conference.
On both Ukraine and Europe ‘pulling its weight’ on security, Hegseth was expected to deliver Trump’s message that Washington expects Europeans to step up – and carry the burden themselves.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte told reporters before the talks that compared to 2023, there was a 20% increase in defence spending from non-US NATO allies last year.
The figures mark “a big step in the direction of what President Trump has called for – I agree with him that we must equalise security assistance to Ukraine,” Rutte said.
But NATO officials increasingly believe a rational run-down of spending figures is unlikely to be enough to sway Washington easily.
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