Zelensky to discuss 'next steps' with Trump following partial ceasefire agreement
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky will speak to US president Donald Trump on Wednesday, he announced during a visit to Finland.
Zelensky plans to ask Trump about the details of the telephone conversation he had with Vladimir Putin on Tuesday. “We will talk about the next steps,” Zelensky said at a press conference in Helsinki. He also called on the US to ensure control of the proposed partial ceasefire.
During Tuesday's discussion with Trump, Putin agreed to a partial ceasefire of 30 days, limited to attacks on energy infrastructure. There was no agreement on a general ceasefire. Putin did, however, put conditions on the table, including a halt to military aid and the sharing of intelligence with Kyiv.
Zelensky called for no such concessions to be made. “I don’t think we should make the slightest concession in terms of aid to Ukraine,” he said. “On the contrary, aid to Ukraine must be increased.”
The conversation between Trump and Zelensky will be their first contact since the heated talks at the White House at the end of February, in which the Americans accused Zelensky of showing a lack of respect and gratitude.
During the press conference, Finnish president Alexander Stubb said Putin must respond to the American proposal. "There are only two ways to respond to the proposal of the president of the United States: it is a yes or a no, without ‘buts’ or ‘conditions’," he said.
"If you read the two transcripts of the telephone conversation, it is clear that Russia does not really want to make any concessions"
Kaja Kallas, the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Policy, called the Russian demand to stop Western military support for Kyiv unacceptable.
“If you read the two transcripts of the telephone conversation, it is clear that Russia does not really want to make any concessions,” Kallas told journalists in Brussels on Wednesday.
Putin’s demands cannot be accepted, she said. “What Russia wants is for Ukraine to become less vigilant. If they succeed in banning all military aid to Ukraine, they can continue as the Ukrainians cannot defend themselves. So it is clear that this cannot work.”
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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