Trump hails 'very good' phone call with Zelensky

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US President Donald Trump has held what helium described arsenic a "very good" hour-long telephone telephone with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky, a time aft speaking to Russia's President Vladimir Putin.

Writing connected his societal media level Truth Social, Trump said the telephone was aimed astatine aligning Ukraine and Russia "in presumption of their requests and needs", adding that ceasefire efforts were connected track.

Both Zelensky and Putin person said they would hold to halt attacks connected vigor infrastructure. However, some person since accused each different of continued attacks.

Trump is seeking a wider truce, but successful their telephone telephone connected Tuesday Putin rejected a afloat 30-day ceasefire backed by the US and Ukraine.

Meanwhile Kyiv and Moscow person carried retired an speech of prisoners. Each broadside released 175 POWs.

Zelensky described the swap arsenic "one of the largest", adding that Russia included an other 22 "severely wounded" soldiers.

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Trump said Wednesday's telephone with Zelensky lasted astir an hour.

"Much of the treatment was based connected the telephone made yesterday with President Putin successful bid to align some Russia and Ukraine successful presumption of their requests and needs," helium wrote connected Truth Social.

"We are precise overmuch connected track," helium added.

Later Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a much elaborate statement, saying that Trump had agreed to assistance Ukraine root further aerial defence systems, peculiarly successful Europe.

The 2 leaders "agreed to stock accusation intimately betwixt their defence staffs arsenic the battlefield concern evolved", helium said.

Technical teams would conscionable successful Saudi Arabia successful the coming days to sermon broadening the ceasefire to the Black Sea, Rubio added, saying they agreed that this could beryllium the archetypal measurement towards afloat ending the war.

Trump besides raised the anticipation of the US taking ownership of Ukraine's powerfulness plants, adding that it would beryllium the "best protection" for Ukraine's vigor infrastructure, Rubio said.

Zelensky described his speech with Trump arsenic "positive", "frank", and "very substantive".

"We agreed that Ukraine and the United States should proceed moving unneurotic to execute a existent extremity to the warfare and lasting peace," helium said.

The seemingly cordial temper of the speech is successful marked opposition to Zelensky's sojourn to the White House astatine the extremity of February, successful which the 2 leaders - on with US Vice President JD Vance - were progressive successful a tense exchange.

Afterwards the US temporarily suspended subject assistance and quality sharing with Ukraine, but diplomats were capable to amended relations and connected 11 March the 2 sides agreed connected a ceasefire.

Trump spoke to Putin by telephone connected Tuesday, and the Russian person agreed to halt attacks connected vigor infrastructure.

But helium said a afloat ceasefire would lone enactment if Ukraine's supporters stopped giving subject assistance - a information Ukraine's European allies person antecedently rejected.

Hours aboriginal some Ukraine and Russia launched attacks, with Kyiv saying hospitals had been targeted.

Zelensky said the Russian strikes demonstrated that Putin had efficaciously rejected the ceasefire proposal.

Officials successful the confederate Russian portion of Krasnodar said that a Ukrainian drone onslaught sparked a tiny occurrence astatine an lipid depot.

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