Zelenskyy To Speak With Trump, Accuses Putin Of Rejecting Ceasefire After Missile Strikes Over Ukraine

Last Updated:March 19, 2025, 17:13 IST

"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 Zelenskyy meets Donald Trump at White House. (Image: AP)

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.

“Today I will have contacts with President Trump and we will discuss the next steps," Zelenskyy told the press.

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."

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.

Tuesday’s 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.

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)

Kyiv, Ukraine

News world Zelenskyy To Speak With Trump, Accuses Putin Of Rejecting Ceasefire After Missile Strikes Over Ukraine