Zelensky backs Trump's proposal for limited ceasefire with Russia
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday put his support behind President Trump’s push for a limited ceasefire with Russia.
“One of the first steps toward fully ending the war could be ending strikes on energy and other civilian infrastructure. I supported this step, and Ukraine confirmed that we are ready to implement it,” Zelensky said in a post on the social platform X.
“We believe that such steps are necessary to create the possibility for a comprehensive peace agreement to be prepared during the ceasefire.”
The U.S. had proposed that both sides halt attacks on energy facilities and infrastructure as a first step toward a broader peace deal. President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke on the phone for nearly three hours on Tuesday, while Zelensky spoke to Trump on Wednesday.
Zelensky said in a statement that Ukrainian and U.S. officials will “resolve technical issues related to implementing and expanding the partial ceasefire.”
“Ukrainian and American teams are ready to meet in Saudi Arabia in the coming days to continue coordinating steps toward peace,” he said.
Trump had initially proposed an unconditional, 30-day ceasefire to halt fighting on the ground and air, which Ukraine accepted.
Trump described the call with Zelensky on Wednesday as “very good” and agreed to work with the Ukrainian leader to see if additional air defense systems are available at the Ukrainian president's request, according to a readout from the White House, focused on systems already in Europe.
Trump proposed American ownership of Ukrainian nuclear power plants as “the best protection for that infrastructure,” according to a statement by national security adviser Mike Waltz and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
“The United States could be very helpful in running those plants with its electricity and utility expertise,” Trump told Zelensky, according to Waltz and Rubio.
The president also asked Zelensky about children “who have gone missing during the war,” the White House readout said, and he “promised to work with both parties to get children home.”
Putin is under indictment by the International Criminal Court over allegations of war crimes for kidnapping Ukrainian children. Ukrainian officials estimate that Russia holds about 20,000 Ukrainian children, but believe the actual number could be much higher.
In December, Yale’s Humanitarian Research Lab released a report identifying 314 Ukrainian children who it said were placed in a “systematic, Kremlin-directed program of coerced adoption and fostering.” The lab presented its findings to the United Nations Security Council.
The Trump administration reportedly ended State Department funding for the lab that was started during the Biden administration.
“I have no updates about that and that specific program at this time,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Wednesday.
The remarks and work by Ukraine and the Trump administration represent progress in a relationship that looked damaged following an explosive Oval Office meeting where Trump accused Zelensky of frustrating peace efforts.
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