Zelensky Dials Trump Day After US President Spoke To Putin Over Ukraine Ceasefire

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is holding a highly anticipated conversation with US President Donald Trump for discussing the details of a recent phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. President Putin agreed on Tuesday to temporarily halt attacks on Ukrainian energy facilities but refused to support a full 30-day ceasefire.

Russian President Putin agreed on Tuesday to temporarily halt attacks on Ukrainian energy facilities but refused to support a full 30-day ceasefire, which President Donald Trump had proposed as a step toward a permanent peace deal. However, just hours after the limited ceasefire was announced, Moscow and Kyiv accused each other on Wednesday of launching airstrikes that damaged infrastructure.

White House National Security Adviser Mike Waltz took to social media to announce that US and Russian technical teams will soon meet in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to discuss the implementation and potential expansion of the ceasefire.

Zelenskyy stated on Wednesday that Putin’s promise to refrain from targeting energy infrastructure was “very much at odds with reality,” following a night of intense drone strikes across Ukraine.

“Just last night, after Putin’s conversation with … Trump, during which he claimed to have ordered a halt to strikes on Ukrainian energy, 150 drones were launched overnight, including attacks on energy facilities,” Zelenskyy remarked during a press conference in Helsinki alongside Finnish President Alexander Stubb.

However, Russia claimed it had ceased targeting Ukraine’s energy facilities and accused Kyiv of attacking equipment near one of its pipelines. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated, “Unfortunately, we see that, for now, there is no reciprocity from the Kyiv regime.”