Trump praises "good conversation" with Zelensky, says "We're on the right track." Will there be peace later this year?

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U.S. President Donald Trump described a phone conversation with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky as a "good call" that lasted about an hour and was aimed at reconciling the demands and needs of Ukraine and Russia. Zelensky said, "We agreed that Ukraine and the United States should continue to work together to achieve a genuine end to the war and a lasting peace. We believe that together with America, with President Trump and under American leadership, a lasting peace can be achieved this year."

Trump and Zelensky said they had a constructive conversation on Wednesday about moving toward a ceasefire between Kiev and Moscow, with the White House suggesting the U.S. could take control of Ukrainian power plants to ensure their safety.

According to a statement by the Secretary of State Marc Rubia and National Security Advisor Mike Waltzissued by the White House, Trump told Zelensky that the U.S. could be "very helpful in operating these plants with their expertise in electricity and utilities", and referred to this conversation as "fantastic". Trump added that "U.S. ownership of these plants might be the best protection for this infrastructure."

In a post on the social network Truth Social Trump said the call was aimed at reconciling the demands and needs of Ukraine and Russia in order to conclude a ceasefire agreement. "We're pretty much on track," Trump said.

"President Trump shared details of his conversation with Putin and the key issues they discussed. One of the first steps toward a complete end to the war could be an end to strikes on energy and other civilian infrastructure. I supported this step and Ukraine has confirmed that we are ready to implement it. Our teams discussed this step in Jeddah. The US side has also proposed an unconditional ceasefire on the front line, and Ukraine has also accepted this proposal. We will continue to work to make this happen. We believe that these steps are necessary to create the possibility of a comprehensive peace agreement during the ceasefire.

I also provided an update on the situation on the battlefield and the consequences of the Russian strikes. We talked about the situation in the Kursk region, we touched on the issue of the release of prisoners of war and the return of Ukrainian children who have been captured by Russian forces. We also discussed the state of Ukrainian air defence and the possibility of strengthening it in order to protect lives.

We have tasked our teams to address technical issues related to the implementation and extension of the partial ceasefire. Ukrainian and U.S. teams are ready to meet in Saudi Arabia in the coming days to continue coordinating steps toward peace. We have tasked our advisors and representatives to carry out this work as quickly as possible. We have noted the positive work of our advisers and representatives - Rubio, Waltz, Kellogg, Jermak, Sybiha, Umerov and Palisa. In future meetings, the teams can agree on all necessary aspects of progress towards lasting peace and security guarantees," Zelensky said.

He thanked President Trump and the American people for their support. He stressed that Ukrainians want peace, which is why Ukraine has accepted the proposal for an unconditional ceasefire. He highlighted the importance of President Trump's concept of "peace through strength", adding that they agreed to maintain constant contact, including at the highest level and through their teams.

The phone call between Trump and Zelensky took place a day after Trump held similar talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump's call with Zelensky was roughly half as long as his call with Putin, during which the Russian leader agreed not to attack Ukraine's energy infrastructure but refused to support a full 30-day ceasefire.

euronews/ gnews.cz - RoZ