Former US President Donald Trump announced a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin. According to Trump, the conversation lasted a long time and was extremely productive. During the conversation, the leaders discussed a wide range of topics, including the conflict in Ukraine, the situation in the Middle East, energy issues, artificial intelligence and the economy. 

"We both reflected on the great history of our nations and recalled how we fought together in World War II. Russia lost tens of millions of people, and we also suffered enormous losses.", Trump said in his statement.

He stressed that the conversation focused on finding ways to stop the bloodshed in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, which he and Putin called a top priority. 

Trump said they had agreed to work together "very closely" and even visit each other's countries. As part of that agreement, it was decided to begin immediate negotiations with the Ukrainian side. Trump noted that he was going to personally call Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to inform him of the results of the conversation. 

Trump has named Secretary of State Marco Rubio, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, National Security Adviser Michael Waltz and Ambassador Steve Witkoff to lead future negotiations. He has expressed confidence in the effort and stressed that its goal is to end a conflict he believes could have been avoided. 

"Millions of people have died in a war that would not have happened if I had remained president. But now it is happening, and our task is to stop it. Not one more life must be lost!" - declared Trump. 

In addition to discussing the conflict, Trump thanked Putin for the release of Mark Vogel, an American teacher detained in Russia in 2021 and sentenced to 14 years in prison for attempting to smuggle medical marijuana. Vogel was returned to the U.S. as part of a prisoner swap, and Trump noted that he personally met him at the White House.