Donald Trump is set to speak with Volodymyr Zelensky at 10 am local time, 3 pm in Italy, to discuss the peace plan in Ukraine, according to sources informed by CNN.
The Russian Ministry of Defense has announced that Moscow and Kiev have conducted an exchange of 175 prisoners of war each, as announced yesterday after the phone call between Putin and Trump, as reported by Tass.
Peace talks in the Russia-Ukraine war will continue on Sunday in the Saudi city of Jeddah, said President Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff.
In an interview with Fox News shortly after Trump had a long conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Witkoff specifically mentioned the ceasefire on energy infrastructure and targets in the Black Sea: “I believe both are now agreed upon by the Russians. I am certainly confident that the Ukrainians will agree,” he said.
American National Security Advisor Mike Waltz stated that he spoke with his Russian counterpart today and has a call scheduled with Ukrainian officials this morning. “Diplomacy on both fronts is tough, but we are making progress and pushing both parties towards a ceasefire and the end of this war,” the official told reporters at the White House.
The 30-day ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, agreed upon by Trump and Putin but not yet accepted by Kiev, would involve energy and “infrastructure in general,” Witkoff said in response to a specific question on Fox News about whether the ceasefire only pertains to energy or a broader issue. Witkoff stated: “No, it involves energy and infrastructure in general.”
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Air Force disclosed that Russian forces attacked Ukraine last night with two Iskander-M ballistic missiles, four S-300 anti-aircraft missiles, and 145 various drones.
Trump mentioned that the issue of military aid to Ukraine was not discussed in the call with Putin yesterday, despite the Kremlin claiming that the Russian leader had asked for an end to military assistance to Kiev. “We did not talk about aid, we did not talk about it at all,” Trump said in an evening interview on Fox News’ “The Ingraham Angle.” “We talked about many things, but aid was never discussed,” he added as reported by Reuters on the site.
Zelensky: ‘I will speak with Trump today’
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will speak with US President Donald Trump today: this was announced by the Ukrainian leader himself during a joint press conference with the President of Finland, Alexander Stubb, currently taking place in Helsinki.
Kallas: ‘We cannot accept a halt to arms in Kiev’
Europe “cannot accept” the halt of arms flow to Ukraine because Russia wants Kiev to “lower its guard.” This was stated by EU High Representative Kaja Kallas speaking to a group of international agencies including ANSA. “We have seen what happened with Minsk 1 and 2: if Moscow succeeds in banning the supply of military aid to Ukraine, it will be free to continue because the Ukrainians will not be able to defend themselves, so it is clear that it cannot work, it cannot be the agreement,” she explains. “The strongest security guarantee is a strong Ukrainian army, this too is very clear.”
“If you read the two summaries of the call, it is clear that Russia does not want to make concessions. It seems that Russia has said that there were talks about military aid to Ukraine, while Trump says no, that this was not discussed.” “This also shows that Russia cannot be trusted, perhaps now even the Americans see it. Now it is legitimate to wonder what will happen,” she added.
Moscow: Kiev lacks reciprocity in stopping energy raids
The Kremlin accuses Ukraine of not showing “reciprocity” in ceasing attacks on energy infrastructure. “Unfortunately, we see that there has been no reciprocity so far” from Kiev. “There have been attempts to target our energy infrastructure,” said Putin’s spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, according to Interfax.
Kremlin: Trust between Putin and Trump, Kiev unwilling to reach an agreement
“The reluctance of the Ukrainian leadership to reach an agreement is evident and a cause for concern.” This is what Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said after the phone call between the Russian and American leaders yesterday. Putin and Trump, Peskov added, “understand each other well and trust each other.” This was reported by The Guardian.
EU Leaders: ‘Peace must be just, unwavering support for Kiev’
“A complete, just, and lasting peace for Ukraine must be the result of this terrible war. We hope that yesterday’s phone call represents progress in this direction. We remain steadfast in our support for Ukraine.” This was written in a tweet by EU leaders Ursula von der Leyen and Antonio Costa.
Reproduction reserved © Copyright ANSA
