Zelenskyy To Speak With Trump, Accuses Putin Of Rejecting Ceasefire After Missile Strikes Over Ukraine
"Today I will have contacts with President Trump and we will discuss the next steps," Zelensky said during a press conference in Finland
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday said that he would speak later in the day with US President Donald Trump to learn more details into Trump’s phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin from the previous day and to discuss the next steps.
Zelenskyy made the announcement during a press conference in Helsinki, where he was accompanied by his Finnish counterpart, Alexander Stubb.
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“Today I will have contacts with President Trump and we will discuss the next steps," Zelenskyy told the press.
Putin’s Vow ‘At Odds With Reality’
Zelenskyy further criticised his Russian counterpart for not honouring his vow to cease attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, stating that Putin was “very much at odds with reality". This came after an overnight barrage of drone strikes across the country, including on energy facilities.
Zelenskyy pointed out the contradiction, saying, “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."
The latest strikes on Ukraine came shortly after Putin’s refusal to support a full 30-day ceasefire during his call with Trump on Tuesday.
The call between Trump and Putin did not result in the breakthrough ceasefire that Ukraine had been advocating for after endorsing the US-led proposal last week. However, Moscow had confirmed that it had agreed to pause Russian strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure.
During the same press conference, Zelenskyy called for the United States to monitor the partial Russian-Ukrainian ceasefire on energy infrastructure, following Moscow’s agreement to temporarily pause attacks on Ukrainian energy sites.
“The United States should be the main controlling entity," he added. “If the Russians don’t hit our targets, we will definitely not hit their targets."
Increase assistance for Ukraine
The Ukrainian President also urged Kyiv’s allies to increase their support for Ukraine in response to Putin’s demand that the West halt military and intelligence assistance.
“I do not believe that we should make any concessions in terms of assistance for Ukraine, but rather there should be an increase in assistance for Ukraine," he said.
Meanwhile, the Kremlin on Wednesday stated that Putin and Trump “trust each other" and are keen to normalise US-Russia relations after more than three years of Moscow’s offensive in Ukraine.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, “Presidents Putin and Trump understand each other well, trust each other and are intent to gradually move towards the normalisation of ties." He added that their phone call on Tuesday lasted for around two hours.
(With inputs from agencies)
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