US President Donald Trump had a "lengthy and highly productive" phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which led to the pair agreeing that negotiations to end the war in Ukraine would begin "immediately".
In a post on his Truth Social platform, the US president said they both agreed that "we want to stop the millions of deaths taking place in the War with Russia/Ukraine".
He explained the pair 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," Trump added.
He also explained that he has instructed a team, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, to lead the negotiations.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is in Ukraine's capital Kyiv today, where he met with President Volodmyr Zelensky.
The two discussed a possible deal in which Ukraine would sell the US rare earth minerals in return for military support, as well as Russia's ongoing invasion of the country.
Zelensky said he hoped an agreement could be reached at the Munich Security Conference which begins on Friday, where he is also expected to meet Vice President JD Vance.
Trump announced Bessent's visit yesterday on his Truth Social platform, saying: "This War MUST and WILL END SOON — Too much Death and Destruction. The US has spent BILLIONS of Dollars Globally, with little to show."
Trump and Putin spoke for almost an hour and a half, a Kremlin spokesperson has said according to reporting from the state-owned TASS news agency.
The Reuters news agency reports this is the first known direct contact between Putin and a US president since before Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The Middle East, bilateral relations, Ukraine and a prisoner exchange between Washington and Moscow were all discussed, TASS reports.
"The Russian president invited the US president to visit Moscow and expressed his readiness to receive American officials in Russia in those areas of mutual interest, including, of course, the topic of the Ukrainian settlement," Reuters reports spokesperson Dmitry Peskov as saying.
"Putin and Trump also agreed to continue personal contacts, including arranging a face-to-face meeting."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said he hopes to finalise economic agreements with the US at the Munich Security Conference, an international security conference taking place this weekend, AFP reported.
Zelensky made the comments at a press conference with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in Kyiv that the agreements would ensure continued US support for Ukraine.
"I told the secretary that I, for my part, will do everything to ensure that our team of government officials works over the next two days so that we have the opportunity to finalise some agreements in Munich," he adds.
Poland's foreign minister Radoslaw Sikorski said the country will continue to support Ukraine before any potential talks with Russia, according to Reuters news agency reporting.
Sikorski also emphasised that continuing cooperation with the US administration remains important.
Asked about Trump's statement in front of reporters at a meeting of Ukraine's allies in Paris, Sikorski said he wants to hear more before commenting.
Pushed about US support for Ukraine, Sikorski said he understands Defense Secretary Pete Hesgeth is coming to Poland and he will "discuss this issue" with him.
Meanwhile, his Spanish counterpart, José Manuel Albares, said nothing should be decided on Ukraine, without Ukraine and Europe.
Albares said "we need a just peace for everyone" - and that a war of aggression cannot be allowed to succeed.