Photo: Win McNamee/Reuters
US President Donald Trump said he had a “very good” phone dialogue with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Much of their conversation focused on his earlier phone call with Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
Trump announced this on the social network Truth Social.
Content of the negotiations
According to Trump, he was trying to “reconcile the requests and needs” of Ukraine and Russia.
“We are on the right track, and I will ask Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Security Adviser Michael Waltz to provide an accurate description of the issues discussed,” Trump wrote.
What preceded it
On 18 March, after a telephone conversation between the US and Russian presidents, it was reported that Putin had agreed to a 30-day refraining from attacking Ukrainian energy facilities.
In addition, Washington and Moscow agreed to discuss the safety of navigation in the Black Sea and to set up expert groups for further discussions on the “Ukrainian settlement”.
However, after his conversation with Trump, Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed that there had been no real change: “Putin has actually rejected the proposal for a complete ceasefire by launching a massive drone attack on Ukrainian cities.”
What to expect next?
Trump’s conversations with Putin and Zelensky caused a significant international outcry. Despite the promise of a “path to peace”, the Kremlin continues to strike at Ukraine, which casts doubt on the effectiveness of these talks. The US State Department is expected to release official details of the issues discussed in the near future.
