Topic: World News
Posted 1 week ago
On Wednesday, President Donald Trump spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to continue discussions aimed at resolving the Russia-Ukraine war.
This call followed Trump's unsuccessful attempt to convince Russian President Vladimir Putin to agree to a 30-day total ceasefire, a proposal supported by the United States and Ukraine. Although Putin did agree to pause attacks on energy infrastructure.
Trump described the hour-long conversation with Zelenskyy as "very good" in a social media post. He noted, “Much of the discussion was based on the call made yesterday with President Putin to align both Russia and Ukraine regarding their requests and needs.” He mentioned he would have Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Security Advisor Michael Waltz provide detailed updates shortly.
Zelenskyy also characterized the conversation as "good" and "very productive," with plans for a new meeting of Ukrainian and U.S. delegations underway.
During a news conference with Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Zelenskyy emphasized that mere "words" from Putin are insufficient for a peaceful agreement between Ukraine and Russia regarding energy infrastructure. He stated, "If the Russians do not strike our facilities, we will certainly not strike theirs."
In preparation for upcoming discussions, Zelenskyy is creating a list of facilities and targets that Ukraine will present to its partners, which will specify what is off-limits in a potential ceasefire agreement. He added, “Just assurances and only Putin’s words are not enough. This war has made us very practical people.”
Prior to this, Zelenskyy had indicated he hoped to discuss the specifics of a partial energy ceasefire with Trump, reinforcing Ukraine’s commitment to a ceasefire and precautions against attacks on energy resources.
Despite ongoing conversations, attacks between Russia and Ukraine continued, with reports of a drone strike on a hospital in Ukraine and a strike on an oil depot in Moscow. Zelenskyy remarked that only a genuine cessation of attacks by Russia on civilian infrastructure can lead to peace.
This was the first conversation between Trump and Zelenskyy since a tense exchange in the Oval Office last month, where Trump claimed Ukraine was unprepared for peace. Following that meeting, military assistance to Ukraine was temporarily cut but later restored after Ukraine agreed to a 30-day truce during talks over the past week.
Despite expressing hope for success in securing a ceasefire, Trump acknowledged on an interview with Fox News that it "would have been tough." The Kremlin indicated that it found significant issues with ensuring effective control over a ceasefire and insisted on complete military and intelligence support cessation to Ukraine as a condition for peace.
In his response, Zelenskyy urged the world to reject any efforts that might allow Putin to extend the conflict, advocating for increased sanctions against Russia and strengthened support for Ukraine.