Zelenskyy, Trump hold call after Witkoff-Putin talks; ceasefire hopes rise amid sanctions deadline

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday said that he held a phone conversation with US President Donald Trump shortly after Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, concluded talks in Moscow earlier in the day.

The call comes amid heightened diplomatic efforts to address the ongoing war in Ukraine, as Washington seeks to pressure Moscow into a negotiated settlement.

“I spoke with President Trump. This conversation happened after President Trump’s representative, Steve Witkoff, visited Moscow,” Zelenskyy posted on social media.

“European leaders were on the call, and I am grateful to each of them for their support,” he added, without saying which leaders took part in the call.

In the nightly address, Zelensky said that it appears Russia is more inclined towards agreeing a ceasefire following their talks with Witkoff’s visit in Moscow.

“It seems that Russia is now more inclined to a ceasefire. The pressure on them works. But the main thing is that they do not deceive us in the details - neither us nor the US,” he said.

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Meanwhile, Trump said his special envoy Witkoff made “great progress” in a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, as Washington continued its preparations to impose secondary sanctions on Friday.

The US president, in a post on Truth Social, said he had briefed some European allies about the meeting, which was focused on ending the war.

“Everyone agrees this War must come to a close, and we will work towards that in the days and weeks to come,” he wrote.

Trump has grown increasingly frustrated with Putin in recent weeks.

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He has reportedly given the Russian leader a deadline of this Friday to show progress toward peace in Ukraine or face a new wave of tougher sanctions.

Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov said both sides had exchanged “signals” regarding the Ukraine conflict and discussed the potential for developing strategic cooperation between Moscow and Washington.

US Secretary of State Mark Rubio said he remained hopeful that a decision on whether to proceed with the sanctions would be announced later on Wednesday.

However, sources close to the Kremlin indicated that Putin is unlikely to yield to the sanctions ultimatum.

With inputs from agencies