Zelenskyy reveals details of conversation with Trump
Photo: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US President Donald Trump held two separate phone conversations in different formats, focusing on a ceasefire and US sanctions against Russia, stated Zelenskyy during a briefing.
"I had two calls today with President Trump in different formats. In the first call, we discussed what is critically important for Ukraine - a ceasefire, unconditional matters that we discussed in Istanbul, and continuously before that," Zelenskyy said.
The second topic of discussion was the United States' readiness to impose tougher sanctions on Russia.
Zelenskyy urged US President Donald Trump to consider tougher sanctions on Russia if Moscow refuses to support a ceasefire or end the war.
"I asked him not to make decisions about Ukraine without us. This is a matter of principle and is very important to us. We agreed that we would have contact after his conversation with Putin. We had a rather long conversation, I think more than an hour," Ukrainian President said.
During a second call, Zelenskyy and Trump joined a phone conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
"It was a lengthy and wide-ranging conversation. President Trump, as I understand, believes the most important thing is direct talks between Ukraine and Russia. That’s his position, he has demonstrated it. In short, he believes Russia will be sending certain signals about what a ceasefire and next steps could look like from their perspective," Zelenskyy added.
Zelensky said he asked Trump to ensure that if Ukraine does not accept Russia’s vision, the US should treat that as Moscow's unwillingness to end the war.
"So far, these are general ideas, that’s why I raised the possibility of serious sanctions," he said.
