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President Trump said that he had a \u201clengthy and highly productive phone call\u201d<\/a> with President Vladimir Putin of Russia, which he characterized as the beginning of a negotiation to end the war in Ukraine. Afterward, Trump said he had spoken with President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine.<\/p>\n \u201cWe each talked about the strengths of our respective Nations, and the great benefit that we will someday have in working together,\u201d Trump wrote on social media of his call with Putin. \u201cBut first, as we both agreed, we want to stop the millions of deaths\u201d \u2014 in fact, an estimated several hundred thousand \u2014 \u201ctaking place in the war.\u201d<\/p>\n The call signifies the collapse of Western efforts to isolate Putin diplomatically.<\/p>\n Trump did not say how Ukraine\u2019s interests would factor into the negotiations. But Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said earlier at a NATO meeting in Brussels that a peace deal restoring Ukraine\u2019s borders to those of 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea, was \u201cunrealistic<\/a>.\u201d Russia now occupies about 20 percent of Ukraine. Trump, Hegseth added, does not support Ukraine\u2019s membership in NATO as part of a peace plan.<\/p>\n Minerals deal: <\/strong>Ukraine\u2019s valuable mineral resources have become a prominent component in the maneuvering over the country\u2019s future after Trump pushed the idea of trading U.S. aid for Ukrainian minerals<\/a>. The U.S. Treasury secretary was in Kyiv<\/a> for talks about a possible deal.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India is expected to try to ease any potential friction between his country and the U.S. when he meets with President Trump today in Washington. Modi has spoken of a warm relationship with the president, but Trump can be a fickle friend<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Two glaring issues could complicate Modi\u2019s goals: trade and immigration. Modi \u201cwill be trying to show Trump that he is cooperating on his fixation on tariffs and illegal immigration,\u201d Mujib Mashal, our South Asia bureau chief, said. \u201cTrump has singled out India as one of the main abusers of tariffs that enjoys a trade deficit with the U.S., mentioning India in the same breath as China.\u201d<\/p>\n India\u2019s trade surplus with the U.S. is growing<\/a>, and Modi could offer lower duties on U.S. goods like bourbon and pecans, which are produced mainly in Republican states.<\/p>\n Deportations: <\/strong>India is also the largest source of illegal immigration to the U.S. after Latin America. Modi\u2019s government has made it clear that it will cooperate with Trump\u2019s deportation effort, even as it caused an uproar in India last week.<\/p>\n Jordan and Egypt are moving with speed to try to dissuade President Trump from forcing them to take in two million Palestinians<\/a> from the Gaza Strip. The two Arab nations view the proposal as an existential threat.<\/p>\n The strategy appears to be to placate Trump with offers to work together to rebuild Gaza, bring peace to the region and expand humanitarian aid efforts. That could help them buy time, analysts say \u2014 perhaps enough for the idea to be jettisoned altogether, or for its strategic and security drawbacks to become apparent. And with Trump, flattery can be highly effective.<\/p>\n Related:<\/strong><\/p>\n The new season of \u201cThe White Lotus\u201d takes place on the resort island of Koh Samui in Thailand. Its roughly 68,000 residents may be in for a shock<\/a>, if a tidal wave of tourists decides to check it out for themselves.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n For Valentine\u2019s Day, the \u201cModern Love\u201d podcast asked readers to share the moments when they knew they were falling in love. Their stories spanned decades and regions.<\/p>\n The team also revisited one of the most memorable stories they have ever published: Mandy Len Catron\u2019s piece about the 36 questions that can help us fall in love. Mandy joined the podcast to provide an update on her romance and to read her essay, which starts on a bridge at midnight, \u201cstaring into a man\u2019s eyes for exactly four minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n Listen to the podcast<\/a> and read Mandy\u2019s original essay here<\/a>.<\/p>\n For more: <\/strong>For decades, these heart-shaped bathtubs drew love-struck couples to a honeymoon getaway in Eastern Pennsylvania. What happened to them when it closed<\/a>?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n That\u2019s it for today\u2019s briefing. Thanks for starting your day with The New York Times. \u2014 Natasha <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Reach Natasha and the team at <\/em>briefing@nytimes.com<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nModi hopes to keep India off Trump\u2019s target list<\/h2>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\nJordan and Egypt attempt diversion on Gaza<\/h2>\n
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How we fall, and stay, in love<\/h2>\n
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