President Trump and Ukrainian President Zelenskyy spoke by phone on Wednesday, describing it as a “very good” conversation. Discussions centered on the preliminary agreement reached with Russian President Putin the previous day.
Trump announced the completion of the hour-long call with Zelenskyy on his social media platform, stating that much of their discussion focused on aligning the requests and needs of both Russia and Ukraine, following his call with Putin.
“We are very much on track,” Trump stated.
The agreement involves Russia ceasing attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure for 30 days, though this ceasefire doesn’t extend to the frontlines or civilian areas, which was the original hope of the Trump administration.
Despite skepticism from Ukrainian and European leaders, special envoy Steve Witkoff expressed his belief on Wednesday that a full ceasefire is achievable in a .
Witkoff also indicated that an official meeting between Trump and Putin is “likely to happen,” with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz scheduled to return to Saudi Arabia on Sunday to further discuss the details of Tuesday’s agreement.
It remains unclear whether a Ukrainian delegation will also be to engage in discussions with their Russian counterparts.
Putin also agreed to a prisoner exchange of 175 individuals and the return of 23 “seriously wounded” Ukrainians as a “gesture of goodwill.”
Shortly after his call with Trump was scheduled, Zelenskyy posted on X about “one of the largest POW exchanges” that had taken place, accompanied by a photo of men with Ukrainian flags returning from Russian captivity.
Zelenskyy confirmed the release of 175 soldiers and 22 “defenders.”
He also expressed gratitude to international partners, particularly the United Arab Emirates, for facilitating the exchange, but did not acknowledge U.S. involvement in the negotiations.
International leaders have voiced concerns that the deal Ukraine agreed to last week was not accepted by Putin during Trump’s discussions. Trump stated on “The Ingraham Angle” on Tuesday that pushing Putin further into a ceasefire would have been difficult, stating that “Russia has the advantage.”
Zelenskyy’s office did not respond to Digital’s inquiries following the Trump-Putin call. However, in a post on X, the asserted that “Putin effectively rejected the proposal for a full ceasefire.”
He called for a global response rejecting any attempts by Putin to prolong the war, emphasizing Russia’s ongoing attacks on Ukrainian civilians, including a recent Shahed drone strike on a hospital in Ukraine’s Sumy region.
Zelenskyy outlined steps for the Western world to counter Putin, including sanctions against Russia, assistance to Ukraine, strengthening alliances in the free world, and working towards security guarantees. He stated that “Only a real cessation of strikes on civilian infrastructure by Russia, as proof of its willingness to end this war, can bring peace closer.”
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