US President Donald Trump announced he had a "very good" one-hour phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, aimed at a possible ceasefire with Russia.
Posting on Truth Social, Trump stated, "Just completed a very good telephone call with President Zelenskyy of Ukraine. 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, and I will ask Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and National Security Advisor Michael Waltz, to give an accurate description of the points discussed. That Statement will be put out shortly." https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/114189841352600682 Notably, this comes a day after Trump held talks with Russian leader Vladimir Putin. Meanwhile, Zelenskyy thanked President Trump and the American people for their support. "I stressed that Ukrainians want peace, which is why Ukraine accepted the proposal for an unconditional ceasefire. I highlighted the importance of President Trump's concept of peace through strength. We agreed to maintain constant contact, including at the highest level and through our teams," he posted on X. The Ukrainian President said that he had a productive conversation with President Donald Trump, where we discussed the ongoing efforts to end the war in Ukraine. "I had a positive, very substantive, and frank conversation with President of the United States Donald Trump @POTUS. I thanked him for a good and productive start to the work of the Ukrainian and American teams in Jeddah on March 11--this meeting of the teams significantly helped in moving toward ending the war," he posted on X. "We agreed that Ukraine and the United States should continue working together to achieve a real end to the war and lasting peace. We believe that together with America, with President Trump, and under American leadership, lasting peace can be achieved this year," he added. Zelenskyy confirmed Ukraine's readiness to "implement" a limited energy, civilian infrastructure ceasefire. "President Trump shared details of his conversation with Putin and the key issues discussed. One of the first steps toward fully ending the war could be ending strikes on energy and other civilian infrastructure. I supported this step, and Ukraine confirmed that we are ready to implement it. Our teams discussed this step in Jeddah. The American side also proposed an unconditional ceasefire on the frontline, and Ukraine accepted this proposal as well. We will continue working to make this happen. We believe that such steps are necessary to create the possibility for a comprehensive peace agreement to be prepared during the ceasefire," he posted on X. The Ukrainian President also provided an update on the battlefield situation and the consequences of Russian strikes. "We spoke about the situation in the Kursk region, touched on the issue of the release of POWs, and the return of Ukrainian children who were taken by Russian forces. We also discussed the state of Ukraine's air defense and the possibility of strengthening it to protect lives," he said. Meanwhile, Ukrainian and American teams are ready to meet in Saudi Arabia in the coming days to continue coordinating steps toward peace. "We instructed our teams to resolve technical issues related to implementing and expanding the partial ceasefire. We instructed our advisors and representatives to carry out this work as quickly as possible. We noted the positive work of our advisors and representatives--Rubio, Waltz, Kellogg, Yermak, Sybiha, Umerov, and Palisa. In further meetings, the teams can agree on all necessary aspects of advancing toward lasting peace and security guarantees," Zelenskyy posted on X. Shortly after, Waltz confirmed further developments, stating on X (formerly Twitter), "I spoke today with my Russian counterpart Yuri Ushakov about President Trump's efforts to end the war in Ukraine. We agreed our technical teams would meet in Riyadh in the coming days to focus on implementing and expanding the partial ceasefire President Trump secured from Russia." https://x.com/MikeWaltz47/status/1902360162138255814 Earlier today, Trump's Special Envoy Steven Witkoff said the US expects Ukraine to support agreements made between Trump and Putin. In an interview with Fox News, Witkoff described his talks with Putin, saying, "I had two meetings with President Putin. The first one was for somewhere close to three and a half hours, and the second one was close to four hours." He continued, "We accomplished quite a bit... we were immediately in discussions on tangible, granular ways to move forward towards a ceasefire that included... the ceasefire with regard to energy infrastructure from both sides." Witkoff also highlighted another key issue, stating, "And secondly, what people colloquially refer to as the Black Sea, maritime aspect of a ceasefire. I think both of those are now agreed to by the Russians. I am certainly hopeful that the Ukrainians will agree to it." He confirmed remaining details would be discussed in Jeddah on Sunday. "The sides have some details to work out, of course, but that will begin on Sunday in Jeddah." (ANI)
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