Trump says Ukraine peace process is ‘on track’ after talks with Zelenskiy

The tension between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskiy – which was evident during the U.S. president’s humiliation of the Ukrainian president in their meeting on February 28 – seems to have dissipated. At least that’s the impression conveyed by their phone conversation on Wednesday, during which they continued discussing a potential temporary ceasefire in the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine. “We are very much on track,” Trump said of the call, which he described as “very good,” while Zelenskiy called it a “positive, very substantive and frank conversation.”

This call marked the first direct contact between the two leaders since the ill-fated meeting in the Oval Office on February 28, when Trump and Vice President J. D. Vance accused Zelenskiy of not wanting peace.

Both leaders addressed the content of Trump’s conversation on Tuesday with Russian President Vladimir Putin to “align both Russia and Ukraine in terms of their requests and needs” on a ceasefire and a peace agreement, as Trump noted in a post on his platform Truth Social. Zelenskiy added: “Ukrainian and American teams are ready to meet in Saudi Arabia in the coming days to continue coordinating steps toward peace.”

That alignment now seems, more than anything, like a distant dream rather than something achievable. Prior to his conversation with Trump, Zelenskiy reiterated one of the red lines his government has set for any negotiations: it will not recognize any of the occupied territories as part of Russia, even if they eventually have to make some concessions.

“We will not accept it,” he emphasized during a press conference held Wednesday in Finland. This demand is precisely one of the Kremlin’s key conditions, and one that the United States has shown itself willing to consider. Moscow is also calling for an end to foreign military and intelligence support for Ukraine if there is to be any progress toward a more substantial truce.

During Tuesday’s call with Trump, Putin agreed to a limited 30-day ceasefire on Ukrainian energy infrastructure, a move that Kyiv welcomed. However, these good intentions remained just words, as both countries launched attacks on these facilities, and on civilian targets in Ukraine, as Zelenskiy reported early Wednesday.

This new wave of aggression led him to repeat that he does not trust the Kremlin’s intentions. “Assurances and only Putin’s words that he is giving the order not to strike energy are not enough,” he said. “He said that he gave the order. And after that there were 145 strike drones, four S-300 missiles, two Iskander ballistic missiles. The strikes were on the railway, on agricultural enterprises, and 21 civilian homes were also damaged,” said Zelenskiy, without mentioning the shelling conducted by Ukrainian forces as well.

Before the call between the two presidents, White House National Security Advisor Mike Waltz spoke with his Kremlin counterpart, a conversation he later confirmed to journalists. Next week, both governments will hold technical talks regarding a ceasefire for energy infrastructure, and the potential extension of that ceasefire to the waters of the Black Sea, according to Trump’s special envoy for sensitive negotiations, Steve Witkoff.

In his latest message, Zelenskiy noted that the U.S. had proposed an unconditional ceasefire on the frontline, which he accepted. “We will continue working to make this happen. We believe that such steps are necessary to create the possibility for a comprehensive peace agreement to be prepared during the ceasefire,” reads a passage of the message.

Zelenskiy arrived in Helsinki on Tuesday for an official visit, which concluded with an announcement by the Finnish government of a new military aid package to Kyiv worth €200 million. Later that evening, after the call between Putin and Trump, Zelenskiy stated that Ukraine would support any measure leading to a reduction in attacks, a stance he reiterated on Wednesday during his press conference. He also emphasized that his government is ready to send a team to continue talks, which he himself has already resumed with Trump. “We had a really good meeting of our teams in Jeddah. I think everything went well — except for Russia, which is always unhappy when something goes well,” he said.

As for the red line — Ukraine will never recognize the territories occupied by Russian forces as part of Russia — Zelenskiy acknowledged that the territorial issue will be a major point in upcoming negotiations. “This will presumably be one of the most sensitive and difficult issues in the upcoming negotiation,” he said.

Recently, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that Ukraine would likely need to make certain territorial concessions, particularly concerning territories occupied by Russia since 2014, as part of any peace agreement. Waltz also agreed with this sentiment, suggesting that such concessions would be made in exchange for future security guarantees.

Opposition to demobilization

Zelenskiy addressed another of the Kremlin’s demands: that the Ukrainian army demobilize and cease receiving international military aid during the 30-day ceasefire. He described this request as strange, asking, “If you don’t want to continue fighting against us, then why are you doing everything to weaken our army?” For the Ukrainian president, such a condition reveals Moscow’s intention to continue its attacks. “I don’t intend to discuss with the Russians what our army should look like,” he said.

Russia launched an attack early Wednesday with 145 drones and six ballistic missiles, according to the Ukrainian Air Force. The capital was hit with at least 45 Shahed drones, in one of the heaviest offensives in recent weeks.

The Russian Defense Ministry reported that its forces destroyed 57 Ukrainian drones, 35 of them in the Kursk border region, but did not specify how many drones Ukraine had launched in total. Additionally, authorities in the southern Russian region of Krasnodar reported that another Ukrainian drone strike caused a fire at an oil pumping station near the town of Kavkazskaya.

Without explicitly referencing the conversation between Trump and Putin, Zelenskiy stressed on his social media post Tuesday afternoon that Europe should be involved in the negotiations to end the war. “Everything that concerns European security must be decided together with Europe,” he posted.

Prisoner exchange

On Wednesday, Ukraine and Russia exchanged 175 prisoners of war from each side, a move announced by the Russian president after his telephone conversation with Trump, but which had been agreed upon beforehand.

Zelenskiy confirmed the exchange took place. “Today is another day when Ukraine brings its people back. 175 of our defenders have been released from Russian captivity,” he said in a message on social media. “This is one of the largest POW exchanges. Returning home are our soldiers, sergeants, and officers – warriors who fought for our freedom." He added: ”We will bring all our people home."

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