US President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky held an hour-long call weeks after a fiery exchange at the White House dashed hopes of Washington playing peace broker between Russia and Kyiv.
In Wednesday’s call, described as both leaders as “very good” and “positive”, Zelensky said lasting peace can be achieved “together with America, with President Trump, and under American leadership”. He also said that one of the first steps towards ending the Russia-Ukraine war is to end strikes on energy and other civilian infrastructure. He thanked the US for its military support, especially Javelin missiles, while requesting for more air defence resources.
Trump also suggested US ownership of Ukrainian energy infrastructure to avoid attacks. He filled in Zelensky about his call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, while both agreed to stay in contact at the “highest level”.
The US-Ukraine minerals deal was also discussed, while White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the US is “beyond” the minerals deal and is more focused on peace negotiations.
Trump also asked Zelensky “about the children who had gone missing from Ukraine during the war, including the ones who had been abducted”, while vowing to work with both sides to ensure those children are returned.
The call comes one day after a call between Trump and Putin, during which the latter rejected an immediate and full ceasefire but agreed to halt attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure for 30 days. But attacks persisted overnight, with Zelensky accusing Russia targeting energy facilities.