Trump says he spoke with Putin about ending war in Ukraine

President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he had spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin about ending the war in Ukraine, which started three years ago when Putin's forces launched a full-scale invasion.

Trump also spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after his call with Putin.

The conversations occurred as U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth offered the fullest view yet of the administration's approach to the conflict, one Trump had claimed during the campaign he could end on the first day of his new administration.

Hegseth told foreign leaders and allies during a Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting that a return to Ukraine's pre-war borders is an "unrealistic objective" in peace talks, as was NATO membership for Ukraine.

"Chasing this illusionary goal will only prolong the war and cause more suffering," Hegseth said.

Zelenskyy has long demanded full territorial liberation and earlier this week signaled a willingness to swap territory with Russia, giving up land Kyiv has held in Russia's Kursk region -- a suggestion Russia resoundingly rejected.

Trump echoed some of Hegseth's comments as he spoke to reporters in the Oval Office on Wednesday afternoon, saying it seems "unlikely" Ukraine would see its borders return to pre-2014 (when Russia annexed Crimea) though he believed "some of it would come back."

Asked whether he would support Zelenskyy ceding territory or exchanging territory in any agreement to end the war, Trump responded, "Well he's going to have to do what he has to do but, you know, his poll numbers aren't particularly great, to put it mildly."

On whether he viewed Ukraine as an equal member of the peace process, Trump paused before responding: "It's an interesting question. I think they have to make peace. Their people are being killed, and I think they have to make peace."

He then appeared to blame Ukraine for the conflict despite Russia's aggression. "I said that was not a good war to go into. And I think they have to make peace," he continued.

While Hegseth ruled out NATO membership, Hegseth said the U.S. recognized Ukraine must receive "robust security guarantees." He proposed a non-NATO mission of European and non-European peacekeepers could be deployed to Ukraine but with no U.S. boots on the ground.

Trump called his conversation with Putin, which the Kremlin said lasted for an hour and a half, a "highly productive" one.

On Ukraine, Trump said he and Putin "agreed to work together, very closely, including visiting each other's Nations" and "to have our respective teams start negotiations immediately."

"President Putin even used my very strong Campaign motto of, 'COMMON SENSE.' We both believe very strongly in it," Trump said.

According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, Trump "spoke in favor of an early end to hostilities and a peaceful solution to the problem. President Putin, for his part, mentioned the need to eliminate the root causes of the conflict and agreed with Trump that a long-term settlement can be achieved through peaceful negotiations."

Trump called Zelenskyy after his discussion with Putin, with their call lasting for about an hour, Zelenskyy's spokesperson told ABC News.

"He, like President Putin, wants to make PEACE," Trump posted afterward. "We discussed a variety of topics having to do with the War, but mostly, the meeting that is being set up on Friday in Munich, where Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio will lead the Delegation."

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked during Wednesday's briefing if Trump expected Ukraine to cede all the territory in question to Russia.

"Again, these negotiations are ongoing," she said. "I will allow the president to divulge any red lines that he may set."

When asked if Hegseth's comments were taking some of Ukraine's sovereign integrity off the table in negotiations, Trump said: "No, I haven't done that. I'm backing Ukraine. I'm backing Ukraine."

The developments come after Trump, during the ABC News presidential debate in September, notably refused to say whether he believed Ukraine should win the war against Russia.

"I want the war to stop," Trump had said.

Former Vice President Kamala Harris, who like former President Joe Biden pledged to support Ukraine and cast the conflict as a fight for democracy and independence, had pushed back on his answer.

"I believe the reason that Donald Trump says that this war would be over within 24 hours is because he would just give it up," she said during the debate. "And that's not who we are as Americans. Let's understand what happened here."

ABC News' Ellie Kaufman and Oleksii Pshemyskiy contributed to this report.