Trump, Putin discuss end to Ukraine war, catching Kyiv by surprise [Video]

U.S. President Donald Trump has launched a bid to end the war in Ukraine, catching Kyiv off-guard by holding a surprise phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin and planning a summit meeting that Mr. Trump said could be held in Saudi Arabia.

Mr. Trump said Mr. Putin had told him Wednesday that he wanted to see an end to the war in Ukraine, which began almost three years ago when Mr. Putin ordered a full-scale invasion that has since taken hundreds of thousands of lives.

In remarks from the White House, Mr. Trump said he believed “we’re on the way to getting peace,” and mused about the possibility of “a ceasefire in the not-too-distant future.” He also said it was unlikely Ukraine would get back all of the territory it has lost to the invading Russian army.

The flurry of diplomacy came shortly after U.S. Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth laid out a vision of …