Washington — President Trump said Wednesday that he spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin and directed members of his national security team to “immediately” begin negotiations aimed at ending Russia’s war with Ukraine.

The call between Mr. Trump and Putin is the first known conversation between the two since the president returned to the White House for a second term. It comes a day after Russia released Pennsylvania schoolteacher Marc Fogel, who was serving a 14-year sentence and was designated as wrongfully detained late last year.

“I just had a lengthy and highly productive phone call with President Vladimir Putin of Russia,” the president wrote on Truth Social. “We discussed Ukraine, the Middle East, Energy, Artificial Intelligence, the power of the Dollar, and various other subjects.”

Mr. Trump said he and Putin talked about the “great benefit that we will someday have in working together” and agreed on the need to end Russia’s war with Ukraine. In addition to the pledge to begin discussions on the war in Ukraine, the president and his Russian counterpart said they would visit “each other’s nation.”

The president said he has directed Secretary of State Marco Rubio, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, national security adviser Michael Waltz and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff to lead negotiations on the war. Mr. Trump also said he will call Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday “to inform him of the conversation” with Russia’s leader.

“Millions of people have died in a War that would not have happened if I were President, but it did happen, so it must end. No more lives should be lost!” he wrote.