Trump and Zelensky end call a day after ceasefire talks with Russia

US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke for about an hour on Wednesday, the US leader said, a day after he spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

In a social media post, Mr Trump said the call was to “align both Russia and Ukraine in terms of their requests and needs”, as he seeks to bring about a ceasefire between the two countries.

“We are very much on track,” Mr Trump added, saying he asked secretary of state Marco Rubio and national security adviser Michael Waltz to provide more details on the conversation in a forthcoming statement.

Mr Trump spoke on Tuesday to Mr Putin about a possible partial ceasefire.

Mr Putin agreed not to target energy infrastructure but refused to back a full 30-day ceasefire.

But before his call with Mr Trump, Mr Zelensky said Mr Putin’s agreement was “very much at odds with reality”, after an overnight barrage of drone strikes across the country.

“Even last night, after Putin’s conversation with … Trump, when Putin said that he was allegedly giving orders to stop strikes on Ukrainian energy, there were 150 drones launched overnight, including on energy facilities,” Mr Zelensky said at a news conference in Helsinki with Finnish President Alexander Stubb.

Published: 19/03/2025 by Radio NewsHub