Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he hopes to talk to President Trump later on Wednesday to “discuss the details of the next step” after calling with Russian President Vladimir V. Putin.
The Kremlin said Mr Putin agreed to a limited ceasefire that would stop attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure during a call with President Trump on Tuesday. The proposal did not reach a 30-day unconditional truce at urging in Washington.
Mr Zelensky appeared to have made the latest proposal for a limited ceasefire on Wednesday, but said he believes such a truce requires us to monitor it before it can work.
“If the Russians don't impress our facilities, we will never impress their facilities,” Mr. Zelensky said at a press conference with Finnish President Alexander Stubb.
The two countries lack trust between Ukraine and Russia, and charged each other’s energy infrastructure attacks on Wednesday.
Mr. Zelensky stated that Mr. Putin had set certain conditions for a broader ceasefire, such as demanding a complete cessation of foreign military and intelligence assistance to Ukraine in an attempt to pause time so that Russia could improve its position of troops on the battlefield and its negotiations.
The Ukrainian president reiterated this Tuesday night after a call between Mr. Putin and Mr. Trump, saying Russia is clearly “not ready to end the war.”
“They are not even ready to take the first step of the ceasefire because they will continue to impose other conditions,” he said.
Ukraine agreed to a 30-day ceasefire proposal that Ukraine agreed to is broader after talks with U.S. officials in Saudi Arabia. It could have been applied to land, air and oceans – the first time that hostilities have ceased to be held back from Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than three years ago. Mr Zelensky said the one-month truce was intended to provide time for more comprehensive negotiations for long-term peace.
Anastasia Kuznietsova Contribution report.
