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US President Donald Trump has said he had a “lengthy and highly productive” phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday in which the leaders agreed to begin negotiations to end the war in Ukraine.

Later, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he had spoken with Trump about a “lasting, reliable peace”.

The calls with the warring sides came as both Trump and his defence secretary said it was unlikely Ukraine would join Nato, which will come as a bitter disappointment to Kyiv.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin supported Trump’s idea that the time had come to work together.

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European powers including Germany, France and the UK have said they must be part of any negotiations on the fate of Ukraine.

It follows US President Donald Trump’s announcement that he’s agreed with Russia’s President Putin to begin talks to end the war in Ukraine.

Seven European nations and the European Commission issued a statement saying their shared objective “should be to put Ukraine in a position of strength” and provided with security guarantees to create “a just and lasting peace”. They said Europe and Ukraine must be involved in any negotiations.

President Trump’s announcement raised concerns in Europe and Ukraine that he would agree to Russian annexation of large parts of Ukraine’s territory now occupied by Russian forces. The administration has said it does not believe a return to the pre-war borders is realistic.

Ukraine’s President Zelensky said that no agreement could be reached without his country’s participation in negotiations.

Sophie Raworth presents BBC News at Ten reporting by Jeremy Bowen.

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US defence secretary Pete Hesgeth says it is “unrealistic” to expect Ukraine to return to its pre-2014 borders when Russia first …

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US President Donald Trump says negotiations on Ukraine will begin after having a “lengthy and highly productive” phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said the pair have agreed to work together closely, including mutual visits to their respective nations.

“We have also agreed to have our respective teams start negotiations immediately, and we will begin by calling President Volodymyr Zelensky, of Ukraine, to inform him of the conversation, something which I will be doing right now”, he said.

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