Donald Trump has reportedly spoken with Vladimir Putin over the phone to discuss ending the war in Ukraine.
The US president believes Putin does care about the number of casualties in the conflict and wants “to see people stop dying.”
“All those dead people. Young, young, beautiful people. They’re like your kids, two million of them – and for no reason,” Trump told the New York Post.
Trump told the newspaper he “better not say” how many times the two leaders had spoken, but admitted he maintained a “good relationship” with Putin.
In the interview, which took place onboard Air Force One, Trump said he had a concrete plan to end the war in Ukraine but could not disclose further details.
“I hope it’s fast,” he told the New York Post. “Every day people are dying. This war is so bad in Ukraine. I want to end this damn thing.”
The war, which began on February 24, 2022, when Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, is fast approaching its third anniversary.
However, the conflict has roots that go back to 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea and fighting broke out in eastern Ukraine between Ukrainian forces and Russian-backed separatists.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reported that approximately 45,100 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed and 390,000 wounded since the conflict's escalation in February 2022.
In January 2025, Trump threatened Vladimir Putin with high tariffs and sanctions if he did not end the Ukraine war soon, saying: "It's time to make a deal."
"I'm not looking to hurt Russia," the former US President said in a post on his Truth Social platform.
But in a direct warning, he told Putin: "Stop this ridiculous war!"
"I love the Russian people, and always had a very good relationship with President Putin," Trump said, noting the Soviet Union's role in helping the Allies win the Second World War.
On Friday, Trump said he would most likely meet with President Zelensky next week to discuss ending the war in Ukraine.
