Washington— On Wednesday morning, President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had a phone conversation lasting about an hour, as Mr. Trump shared on his Truth Social account.
“I’ve just completed a very productive phone call with President Zelenskyy of Ukraine,” the president posted. “Our conversation lasted around one hour, largely revolving around the call I had with President Putin yesterday, aimed at coordinating both Russia and Ukraine concerning their requests and necessities. We’re making good progress, and I will ask Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Security Adviser Michael Waltz to provide a detailed account of our discussion points, which will be released shortly.”
This call followed Mr. Trump’s extensive discussion with Russian President Vladimir Putin, during which Mr. Trump mentioned that Putin consented to a 30-day ceasefire regarding Ukraine’s energy and infrastructure. However, this commitment did not fully meet the complete ceasefire advocated by the U.S. and accepted by Ukraine. Just hours after Mr. Trump and Putin concluded their call, Russia initiated a series of drone strikes targeting civilian areas, resulting in damage to a hospital.
Zelenskyy remarked on Tuesday evening that “only a true cessation of Russia’s attacks on civilian infrastructure can signify a real intent to conclude this war and bring us closer to peace.”
The call on Wednesday is the first dialogue between Mr. Trump and Zelenskyy following their troublesome Oval Office meeting last month, which led U.S. officials to advise Ukrainians to leave the White House prematurely.
Mr. Trump has consistently stated his belief that Putin desires peace, despite minimal evidence supporting this assertion, three years after Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
On Wednesday, special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff claimed that Putin is acting in “good faith,” mentioning that the Russian leader issued an order after the call with Mr. Trump instructing Russian forces not to attack Ukrainian energy infrastructure.
Conversely, Zelenskyy has voiced doubts regarding the notion that Putin seeks peace. “We are skeptical about trusting the Russians,” Zelenskyy stated on Tuesday. “There is no trust in Putin. That’s why I emphasize the need to comprehend how it will technically function, so it won’t solely rely on their intentions. That’s it.”
National Security Adviser Mike Waltz announced that “technical teams” will depart for Saudi Arabia on Monday to negotiate ceasefire terms.
“I talked today with my Russian counterpart Yuri Ushakov regarding President Trump’s efforts to bring an end to the war in Ukraine,” Waltz posted on X. “We concurred that our technical teams would convene in Riyadh in the coming days to concentrate on executing and broadening the partial ceasefire that President Trump managed to secure from Russia.”
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