Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he needs more details about peace proposals following President Donald Trump’s call with Russia’s Vladimir Putin, warning that “For us, the red line is the recognition of the Ukrainian temporarily occupied territories as Russian.”
Zelenskyy announced he plans to speak with Trump Wednesday after the president told Fox News’ “The Ingraham Angle” that he spent nearly two hours on the phone Tuesday with Putin.
“We will discuss the details of the next steps with him,” Zelenskyy said. “For us, the red line is the recognition of the Ukrainian temporarily occupied territories as Russian. We will not go for it.”
Zelenskyy added that attacks continue to strike Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, despite U.S. and Russia saying Tuesday that Trump and Putin agreed to a ceasefire against those targets. Russia launched a series of drone strikes that struck civilian areas overnight and damaged a hospital in Ukraine.
“We will support any proposals that lead to a sustainable, just peace. But for this we must understand what is at stake. What are the details? And I hope to God that we know all these details, so that the partners talk to us. Because there are two sides in this war – Russia and Ukraine. Trying to negotiate without Ukraine, in my view, will not be productive,” Zelenskyy said Tuesday.
“We support all steps toward ending the war. We will give support, but in order to support something we need to understand what specifically it is,” he added.
Zelenskyy confirmed on Wednesday that 175 Ukrainian soldiers returned home following a prisoner exchange with Russia, while an additional 22 soldiers were returned “through measures beyond exchanges.”
“This is one of the largest POW exchanges,” Zelenskyy wrote on X, adding that those returning included soldiers, sergeants and officers, some of whom “are severely wounded warriors and those whom Russia persecuted for fabricated crimes.”
Trump described his call with Putin as “very good and productive” on Truth Social.
“Many elements of a Contract for Peace were discussed, including the fact that thousands of soldiers are being killed, and both President Putin and President Zelenskyy would like to see it end,” Trump wrote. “That process is now in full force and effect, and we will, hopefully, for the sake of Humanity, get the job done!”
The White House said in a statement following the call that “The leaders agreed that the movement to peace will begin with an energy and infrastructure ceasefire, as well as technical negotiations on implementation of a maritime ceasefire in the Black Sea, full ceasefire and permanent peace.
“These negotiations will begin immediately in the Middle East,” it added.
During the call, Putin also said a complete cessation of military aid to Ukraine was a key condition for ending the war, Russia’s state-run TASS news agency reported, citing the Kremlin.
However, Trump told Fox News “We didn’t talk about aid, actually.”
“We didn’t talk about aid at all,” he said. “We talked about a lot of things, but aid was never discussed.”
