New Delhi:
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, particularly the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, to avoid attacks. US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said, “It is probably somewhat beneficial to have an economic relationship with the nation that has a history of being able to protect itself and protect its friends.” A statement from National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and Secretary of State Marco Rubio said American ownership of the plants will be the “best protection”.
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.
Trump filled in Zelensky about his call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, while both agreed to stay in contact at the “highest level”.
In a post on his Truth Social social media account, Trump described the call as “very good”. “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,” he wrote. Zelensky said the phone call was “positive”, “frank”, and “very substantive”.
Zelensky said officials from Ukraine and the United States could meet in Saudi Arabia in the coming days for a second round of peace talks and to discuss issues related to implementing the partial ceasefire.
Trump and Putin have held direct talks to discuss the ongoing conflict, the latest being a 90-minute call on Tuesday. During the latest exchange between Trump and Putin, 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.