Trump Says Peace Talk Calls with Putin and Zelensky Were ‘Great’, Russia Lauds Diplomatic Developments

[UPDATED: Feb. 13, 15:47, Kyiv time. Originally published Feb. 13, 12:51. Added new comments from Trump and Lavrov]

On Thursday, US President Donald Trump referred to his “lengthy” calls with Russian President Vladimir Putin and subsequently Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as “great,” and repeated that there is a “good possibility” of needing the war in Ukraine very soon. 

“GREAT TALKS WITH RUSSIA AND UKRAINE YESTERDAY. GOOD POSSIBILITY OF ENDING THAT HORRIBLE, VERY BLOODY WAR!!!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that the “shock” that much of the world expressed after the calls were announced added weight to his belief that Russia has been targeted by the West for years.

“What struck me was that now the entire world is in a state of ‘shock,’ viewing the phone conversation and the news about it as something extraordinary,” Lavrov said in a press conference from Moscow on Thursday, as translated by CNN.

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Russian lawmakers expressed hope the talks would lead to a breakthrough in relations, which had been at their lowest point since the Cold War.

He accused the former US administration of President Joe Biden of abandoning “dialogue and communication” in lieu of “threats, sanctions, and the arming of the regime in Kyiv to wage war against the Russian Federation.”

Lavrov lauded Trump for taking a new approach to diplomacy with the Kremlin. “This is how you should communicate with Russia,” he said, adding that it was a “simple, normal conversation... between two polite, educated individuals.”

On Feb. 12, Trump held separate calls with Zelensky and Putin, later claiming both leaders “want to stop the millions of deaths taking place in the War with Russia/Ukraine.”

Dmitry Peskov, Putin’s press secretary, said earlier on Thursday preparations for peace talks between Ukraine and Russia have already begun after Wednesday’s phone call between US President Donald Trump and Putin.

The same day, Russian media RIA Novosti outlined the key points of Peskov’s comments, which addressed the potential participation of China and a confirmation that work is already underway for future talks.

Peskov said the future recognition of Russian-occupied territories in Ukraine, including Crimea, was not discussed in the phone call.

“The leaders agreed to immediately give instructions on preparing contacts, which also concerns the meeting place,” the RIA Novosti update stated. Trump said one possible venue was Saudi Arabia, Forbes reported on Wednesday. 

“Preparations for the formation of a negotiating group for dialogue with the United States have begun,” the Russian update added.

Peskov also said there’s a need to organize a meeting between Trump and Putin soon.

“There is definitely a need to organize such a meeting quite promptly, the heads of state have a lot to talk about,” Peskov told reporters, according to AFP.

RIA Novosti’s update says China might be “included in the negotiations,” but it is too early to tell. Peskov also ruled out Europe’s involvement at present, the update says.

“Until there is an understanding of the format of a possible negotiation process in Ukraine, it is premature to talk about Europe’s participation in it,” it says.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday that China had offered to facilitate a Trump-Putin summit, that would likely exclude Ukraine, but the proposal was met with skepticism in the US and Europe with the White House appeared to reject it because of the perceived close links between Moscow and Beijing.