Trump tells Zelensky that the US can take ownership of Ukrainian power plants to protect their safety.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he is ready to support the US proposal to suspend attacks on energy targets following a “positive” call with President Donald Trump the day after the Russian president accepted the US plan.
The two leaders spoke for about an hour Wednesday as Trump continues his efforts to secure a ceasefire in the Russian-Ukraine war. After the call, Trump made a “very good” call with Zelenskyy on social media, writing that his efforts to negotiate a ceasefire are “going very well.”
The purpose of the call that came the day after President Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin was to “coordinate both Russia and Ukraine in terms of their demands and needs,” Trump said.
During Trump’s debate with Putin on Tuesday, Russian leaders agreed not to target energy infrastructure, but refused to support a 30-day ceasefire.
In a social media post, Zelenskyy said his conversation with Trump was “positive, very substantial and straightforward” and that he believes that with US support, “the lasting peace this year can be achieved.”
Zelenskyy said he would “continue to work” to make the ceasefire happen, suggesting there will be more meetings in Saudi Arabia “in the coming days” between the US and Ukrainian teams.
Trump also told Zelensky in their appeal that the US could acquire ownership of Ukraine’s power plants to increase safety. The United States could be “very useful in running these plants with electricity and utility expertise,” according to a White House statement from the US Secretary of State and national security adviser Mike Waltz.
“American ownership of these plants could be the best protection for its infrastructure,” Trump said.
The energy plants Trump mentioned in the call were not immediately clear.
Prisoner exchange
Earlier on Wednesday, Ukraine and Russia traded 372 prisoners of war in an exchange mediated by the United Arab Emirates.
The Russian Ministry of Defense announced on Wednesday that Moscow returned 175 soldiers and “has been taken prisoner with 22 seriously injured in need of emergency medical assistance.” Kiev said 175 Russian troops had also been returned.
Zelenskyy confirmed the swap and wrote to X that it was the “one of the biggest” exchange since the start of the full-scale invasion of Russia’s Ukraine in February 2022.
The gust of diplomatic activities comes after Ukrainian forces said on Wednesday that Russia fired 145 drones and air defense defeated the 72.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense reported that one person died during the Russian strike and two hospitals suffered damage.
The Russian Ministry of Defense said its air defense destroyed 57 Ukrainian drones.
In southern Russia, in the southern part of Krasnodar, authorities said that a Ukrainian drone attack caused a fire at an oil depot near the village of Kabkazkaya, with no injuries.
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