Lasting peace achievable this year, Zelensky says after 'positive' call with Trump
US president Donald Trump said on Wednesday he had a "very good" phone call with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, adding that talks were "on the right track" as the United States pushes for a ceasefire in Ukraine.
"Just completed a very good telephone call with President Zelenskyy of Ukraine," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "It lasted approximately one hour. Much of the discussion was based on the call made yesterday with President Putin in order to align both Russia and Ukraine in terms of their requests and needs. We are very much on track."
During a phone call with Trump on Tuesday, Russian president Vladimir Putin agreed to a partial ceasefire for 30 days, limited to attacks on energy infrastructure. In Wednesday's call with Trump, Zelensky agreed to "ending strikes on energy and other civilian infrastructure", the Ukrainian president said in a post on X, calling the conversation "positive, very substantive and frank".
"We agreed that Ukraine and the United States should continue working together to achieve a real end to the war and lasting peace," Zelensky wrote. "We believe that together with America, with President Trump, and under American leadership, lasting peace can be achieved this year."
White House envoy Steve Witkoff said on Wednesday that he expected a full ceasefire to be possible "in a couple of weeks", noting that US-Russian talks would take place in Saudi Arabia early next week.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that talks were planned for Wednesday and Thursday to determine the exact dates of the next contacts and the composition of the Russian and American delegations.
Volodymyr Zelensky at a joint press conference with Finnish president Alexander Stubb at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki, 19 March 2025 © PHOTO HEIKKI SAUKKOMAA / LEHTIKUVA / AFP
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