U.S.
President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy settled on Wednesday to interact to end Russias war with Ukraine, in what the White House referred to as a great one-hour phone call.In their very first discussion given that an Oval Office screaming match on February 28, Zelenskiy thanked Trump for U.S.
support and the 2 leaders concurred that technical groups would meet in Saudi Arabia in the coming days.Zelenskiy asked Trump for more air defence support to secure his country against Russian attacks and the U.S.
president stated he would assist locate the needed military equipment in Europe, the White House said.Trump informed Zelenskiy on his phone call on Tuesday with Vladimir Putin, in which the Russian president rejected a proposed full 30-day ceasefire sought by Trump that Ukraine stated it would be prepared to accept, but agreed to pause attacks on energy infrastructure.That narrowly specified pause appeared in doubt on Wednesday, however, with Moscow saying Ukraine struck an oil depot in southern Russia while Kyiv said Russia had struck healthcare facilities and homes, and knocked out power to some railways.Still, the two sides performed a prisoner exchange, each launching 175 soldiers in an offer helped with by the United Arab Emirates.
Moscow stated it freed an extra 22 injured Ukrainians as a goodwill gesture.Zelenskiy, explaining his discussion with Trump as favorable, really substantive and frank, said he had actually validated Kyivs readiness to halt strikes on Russian facilities and to accept an unconditional frontline ceasefire as the U.S.
proposed earlier.One of the primary steps toward completely ending the war could be ending strikes on energy and other civilian infrastructure.
I supported this action, and Ukraine validated that we are prepared to execute it, he said on social media.Later, the Ukrainian president told press reporters in a video call that Trump understands Kyiv will not recognize occupied land as Russian.Zelenskiy said the Russian strikes, which he said were performed considering that Trumps call with Putin, revealed that Russia was not prepared for peace.
He stated the U.S.
should supervise of keeping an eye on any ceasefire, including a halt to infrastructure attacks might be quickly established.The Kremlin stated it had actually aborted planned attacks on Ukraines energy facilities, including by shooting down 7 of Russias own drones heading towards Ukraine.
It implicated Kyiv of failing to cancel its own attacks in what it called an effort to mess up the agreement.Trump suggested to Zelenskiy the U.S.
might help run, and perhaps own, Ukraines nuclear power plants, according to a declaration by the U.S.
administration.
Europes largest nuclear power plant, in Ukraines Zaporizhzhia region, has been closed down since Russian soldiers inhabited it in 2022.
Zelenskiy stated Ukraine has begun talks with the U.S.
about its possible participation in restoring the Zaporizhzhia plant.Europeans WaryTrump has long assured to end Europes most dangerous dispute considering that World War Two.
But his outreach to Putin has unnerved European allies, who fear it declares a basic shift after 80 years in which safeguarding Europe from Russian expansionism was the core objective of U.S.
foreign policy.Some European leaders said Putins rejection of Trumps proposed complete truce was evidence Moscow was not looking for peace.
The offer to briefly stop assaulting Ukrainian energy facilities counted for nothing and Trump would need to win greater concessions, Germanys defence minister said.Putin is playing a game here and Im sure that the American president wont be able to sit and expect much longer, Boris Pistorius informed German broadcaster ZDF.The EUs foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said she would provide a proposition to European leaders in Brussels on Thursday to supply Ukraine with 2 million rounds of large-calibre artillery ammo, according to a letter seen by Reuters.Scores of AttacksFor most of the past 3 years, Russia has actually relentlessly assaulted Ukraines power grid, arguing that civilian infrastructure is a legitimate target due to the fact that it facilitates Kyivs fighting capabilities.
Ukrainians state such attacks have decreased in recent months.Kyiv has actually steadily established abilities to install long-range attacks into Russia, often utilizing drones to target remote oil and gas websites, which it says offer fuel for Russias troops and earnings to fund the war.In the attacks overnight, Ukrainian local authorities stated Russian drones damaged two medical facilities in the northeastern Sumy area, causing no injuries but forcing the evacuation of clients and staff.Near Kyiv, a 60-year-old male was hurt and airstrikes struck homes and businesses in the Bucha district north of the capital.
Attacks harmed power systems for railways in Dnipropetrovsk in the south on Wednesday, the state train said.Authorities in the southern Russian region of Krasnodar said a Ukrainian drone attack triggered a fire at an oil depot near the village of Kavkazskaya.
No one was injured.The depot is a rail terminal for Russian oil products to a pipeline connecting Kazakhstan to the Black Sea.
A representative of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium operator said oil flows were steady.
2 industry sources said the attack might lower Russian materials to the pipeline.Source: Reuters-- Agencies