U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are set to hold a phone call “in the coming days and weeks,” according to Mike Waltz, Trump’s nominee for national security adviser. Waltz made the announcement during an interview with ABC News on Jan. 12, emphasizing that dialogue with Moscow is a priority for the incoming administration.
“The preparations are underway,” Waltz said, responding to questions about a potential meeting between the two leaders. “You can’t enter a deal if you don’t have some type of relationship or dialogue with the other side, and we will absolutely establish that in the coming months.”
While no date has been set for a formal meeting, Waltz indicated that the phone call would serve as an initial step in building rapport. When asked whether Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky would be involved in the discussions, Waltz said the format of the talks had not yet been finalized.
“We haven’t set the exact framework for it yet,” Waltz said. “I do expect a call in the coming days and weeks, and we’ll take it from there.”
Switzerland Offers to Host In-Person Talks
On Jan. 12, Switzerland’s Foreign Ministry expressed its willingness to host a face-to-face meeting between Trump and Putin, according to Nicolas Bideau, head of communications for the ministry. Waltz, however, did not comment on potential locations for such a meeting, stating that details would be determined after Trump’s Jan. 20 inauguration.
The Kremlin welcomed Trump’s readiness for dialogue, calling it a positive step, but confirmed that no concrete plans had been finalized for an in-person meeting. Kremlin officials also clarified that such a meeting would not occur before Trump officially assumes office.
Contentious Peace Proposals
The anticipated discussions follow a leaked peace proposal from Trump’s team that included freezing the front lines in Ukraine, delaying Ukraine’s NATO membership by two decades, and deploying European peacekeepers to the region. Moscow previously dismissed these terms, raising questions about how Trump plans to navigate the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
While Waltz avoided specifics about peace plans during the interview, he addressed Ukraine’s ongoing manpower challenges, suggesting that Kyiv could lower its draft age from 26 to 18 to bolster its forces.
“If Ukrainians have asked the entire world to be all in for democracy, we need them to be all in for democracy,” Waltz said. “We need to see those manpower issues addressed.”
Waltz also tempered expectations for a complete Russian withdrawal from occupied territories, including Crimea, stating that such an outcome is not “realistic.”
The phone call between Trump and Putin, expected to take place shortly, could offer early indications of how the Trump administration plans to approach U.S.-Russia relations and the broader conflict in Ukraine.
