Zelenskyy Willing to Cease Attacks on Energy Sites Following Trump’s Call

Ukraine

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has expressed Ukraine's readiness to support a U.S. proposal to pause attacks on energy infrastructure following a "positive" phone conversation with U.S. President Donald Trump. This move comes just a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin also agreed to the U.S. plan.

The two leaders spoke for about an hour on Wednesday as Trump continues his efforts to mediate a ceasefire in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict. Following the call, Trump took to social media to describe the conversation as "very good" and confirmed that discussions about a potential truce are "very much on track."

Trump explained that the purpose of the call, which occurred a day after his conversation with Putin, was to align the positions of both Russia and Ukraine, taking into account their respective demands and needs. During his Tuesday discussion with Putin, the Russian president agreed not to target energy infrastructure but declined to support a comprehensive 30-day ceasefire.

Zelenskyy, in a social media post, described his discussion with Trump as "positive, substantive, and frank," and expressed his belief that "lasting peace" is achievable this year with U.S. support. He added that Ukraine would continue working toward securing a ceasefire and hinted at further talks in the coming days between U.S. and Ukrainian teams, potentially in Saudi Arabia.

In their conversation, Trump suggested that the U.S. could take ownership of Ukrainian power plants to enhance their security, offering American expertise in running energy infrastructure. According to a statement from U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, Trump proposed that American involvement in managing these plants could offer the best protection for Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. However, it remains unclear which specific power plants were mentioned in the call.

In a separate development, Ukraine and Russia conducted a prisoner swap on Wednesday, exchanging 372 prisoners of war with the help of the United Arab Emirates. Russia's Defense Ministry announced it returned 175 soldiers, including 22 seriously wounded prisoners who required urgent medical care, as a "gesture of goodwill." The Ukrainian government confirmed the exchange, calling it one of the largest since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.

The diplomatic exchanges come amid ongoing military actions. On Wednesday, Ukraine’s military reported that Russia launched 145 drones, with 72 being shot down by air defenses. The strikes resulted in one death and damage to two hospitals, as well as power outages affecting parts of Ukraine’s railway network. Russia’s Defense Ministry reported that its air defenses had destroyed 57 Ukrainian drones.

In the Russian region of Krasnodar, Ukrainian forces carried out a drone strike on an oil depot near the village of Kavkazskaya, causing a fire. Authorities reported no injuries from the attack.