 "Volodymyr Zelenskyy was entering into tough negotiations with a volatile, yet popular POTUS who holds a grudge against the Ukrainian leader. Image: REUTERS")
Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy had a “very good” phone call on Wednesday.
This was their first conversation since a tense White House meeting three weeks ago, which resulted in a public spat between the two leaders.
In a Zoom call with journalists on Wednesday night, Zelenskyy said he felt “no pressure” from Trump. He called it a “fruitful conversation,” possibly their best one yet, with a positive mood.
“We have received signals from the United States that we are talking about the ceasefire on energy facilities, so not to attack energy infrastructure, and we are also talking about the civilian infrastructure facilities,” Zelenskyy said.
Zelenskyy called the conversation “positive and frank” and confirmed he had agreed to a partial ceasefire that Trump negotiated with Vladimir Putin a day earlier. The White House said Trump also pledged to help Ukraine secure more air defence systems for Kyiv.
The White House said that the two leaders had agreed to a partial ceasefire to halt Ukrainian attacks on energy targets following the phone call.
US ownership of Ukrainian nucler power plant
Zelensky on Wednesday said that he and US counterpart had discussed possible US ownership of the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine.
His comments to reporters came after Trump told Zelensky on Wednesday that the United States could own and run Ukraine’s nuclear power plants as part of his latest bid to secure a ceasefire in Russia’s invasion.
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More Shorts“We talked only about one power plant, which is under Russian occupation,” Zelensky, who was on an official visit to Finland, said during an online briefing, referring to the plant in Zaporizhzhia.