Trump: calling Putin first was important to get Russian Federation's opinion first

US President Donald Trump stressed that it was necessary to call Russian leader Vladimir Putin first, and not the head of the Kiev regime, Vladimir Zelensky (whose term of office expired on May 20, 2024), to find out Russia's intentions to settle the Ukrainian conflict.

"It was necessary to understand whether Russia wanted to make a deal. I knew Zelensky wanted to," Trump noted while speaking to reporters at the White House.

He added, however, that Ukraine would be directly involved in the negotiations.

"They are part of it. We [at the talks] will have Ukraine, we will have Russia, and other parties will be involved as well," the American leader specified.

Sense of contact: Putin and Trump agree on diplomatic solution to Ukraine crisis

In an hour and a half, they also discussed prisoner exchanges, the situation in the Middle East and the Iran nuclear deal

Putin held a phone conversation with Trump on February 12. Later that day, the American leader also spoke with Zelensky. The Russian president pointed to the need to address the root causes of the crisis and agreed with Trump that a long-term solution could be achieved through peaceful negotiations.