MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
Donald Trump returned to the White House vowing to end the war in Ukraine, and yesterday he took action.
LEILA FADEL, HOST:
He held his first confirmed talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, followed by a conversation with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy. And he says they went well.
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PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: And I think we're on the way to getting peace. I think President Putin wants peace, and President Zelenskyy wants peace, and I want peace. I just want to see people stop getting killed.
MARTIN: We're going to talk more about this, so we have here with us NPR's Russia correspondent Charles Maynes. Charles, good morning.
CHARLES MAYNES, BYLINE: Morning, Michel.
MARTIN: Let's start with that Putin call. What do we know?
MAYNES: Well, you know, sometimes after calls between leaders, you see the two sides have very different takes on what was discussed, what was agreed upon. That's not the case here. You know, between Trump's postings on social media and his comments to the press, you know, everything really aligned with what we heard from Moscow. Kremlin spokesman Dimitry Peskov may have issued a more formal readout, but one that made clear, these two men are in sync.
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DIMITRY PESKOV: (Speaking Russian).
MAYNES: So here, Peskov says Putin and Trump spoke for a full hour and a half. He went on to say that Trump reiterated his desire to end the war, and Putin agreed that was possible, provided it was a durable piece that addressed the root causes of the conflict. Now, the spokesman also said Putin agreed with Trump that it was time for the two countries to work together, and the two men agreed to meet in person. Trump says that may happen soon in Saudi Arabia, but the Kremlin said Putin also invited Trump to Moscow.
MARTIN: And what was the reaction in Moscow?
MAYNES: Well, you know, there's a sense of celebration. The Russian markets went up this morning. This is a complete reversal by the U.S., not just from the politics of the Biden administration - which after all, spent the past three years trying to isolate Putin - but even from the first days of the Trump administration. You know, Trump threatened massive new sanctions on Putin to force him to the negotiating table. You know, that more aggressive tone by Trump was gone completely yesterday and it's sill unclear what led to the change.
MARTIN: And of course, there's another key party here, which is Ukraine. What do we know about his conversation with President Zelenskyy?
MAYNES: Yeah, you know, Trump said he called Zelenskyy directly after speaking with Putin and brought him up to speed. But this was clearly not a good day for Ukraine. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, in Europe, delivered a speech to NATO allies in which he said the U.S. believed it was unrealistic for Ukraine to regain its pre-war borders. He also ruled out NATO membership for Ukraine - two key demands Putin has made repeatedly for a negotiated settlement. You know, meanwhile, it didn't help Zelenskyy to also hear Trump suggest Zelenskyy might not be around politically when and if elections are held in Ukraine. You know, it just gave the feeling that Trump thinks Zelenskyy, not Putin, is the one who's the obstacle to peace here.
MARTIN: So Charles, another issue here, Russia's release of Marc Fogel, an American school teacher who was serving a long sentence in Russia on charges he'd brought marijuana into the country illegally. Do we know more about the trade now - more details about this?
MAYNES: Yeah, in exchange for Fogel, the U.S. is releasing Alexander Vinnik. He's a Russian cryptocurrency trader who'd been convicted of money laundering charges in the U.S. You know, clearly, this is good news for the Fogel family. It's also clearly a diplomatic sweetener. You know, both sides have made clear this was a trust-building gesture, as the U.S. and Russia pursue a large deal over Ukraine. But there's plenty that could still go wrong, I mean, particularly, I think around the optics of seeming weak in negotiations. Whether it's Trump appearing to sideline Ukraine and reward Russian aggression, or for that matter, Putin allowing Trump and the U.S. to play sheriff and impose an end of the conflict. You know, that could be a hard sell for either side to bring as a win.
MARTIN: That is NPR's Russia correspondent Charles Maynes. Charles, thank you.
MAYNES: Thanks, Michel. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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