President Donald Trump is speaking with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday as talks continue to try to end the Russia-Ukraine war.
The call was underway as of 10:38 a.m. ET, according to White House deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino.
Their conversation comes one day after Trump failed to persuade Russian President Vladimir Putin to agree to a 30-day total ceasefire proposed by the U.S. and backed by Ukraine, though Putin agreed to pause attacks on energy infrastructure.
Zelenskyy told ABC News Chief International Correspondent James Longman on Tuesday that he counted on having a conversation with Trump about the “details” of a partial energy ceasefire.
“We have always supported the ceasefire position and not to use any weapons against the energy infrastructure, and also we have supported the position of not to attack the naval corridors,” Zelenskyy said.
But Russia and Ukraine continued to trade strikes following Tuesday’s developments. Ukrainian authorities reported a drone attack on a hospital, while Moscow said Ukraine struck an oil depot facility.
The actions prompted Zelenskyy to say “only a real cessation by Russia of attacks on civilian infrastructure as evidence of a desire to end this war can bring peace close.”
Wednesday’s call is the first between Trump and Zelenskyy since their Oval Office clash last month, in which Trump accused the Ukrainian leader of not being ready for peace and not holding any cards in negotiations.
Following the tense exchange, the Trump administration cut off military assistance and some intelligence sharing to Kyiv. Those tools, however, were reinstated after Ukraine agreed to a 30-day truce during talks with top U.S. officials in Saudi Arabia last week.
Trump had expressed optimism ahead of his call with Putin that there would a good chance of success in securing the monthlong ceasefire. But then in an interview with Fox News host Laura Ingraham on Tuesday night, Trump conceded it “would have been tough.”
The Kremlin said following Tuesday’s call that in terms of the monthlong ceasefire, Russia “identified a number of significant issues related to ensuring effective control over a possible ceasefire along the entire line of contact.”
Plus, it said a key condition for ending the war would be the total “cessation” of military and intelligence assistance to Kyiv.
“Today, Putin effectively rejected the proposal for a full ceasefire. It would be right for the world to respond by rejecting any attempts by Putin to prolong the war,” Zelenskyy responded on Tuesday.
“Sanctions against Russia. Assistance to Ukraine. Strengthening allies in the free world and working toward security guarantees. And 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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