US President Donald Trump confirmed a one-hour telephone conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday, focusing on ceasefire efforts amid the ongoing war. The discussion followed Trump’s recent call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, where they explored ways to align Russia and Ukraine’s requests for a potential truce.

Trump posted on X: “Just completed a very good telephone call with President Zelenskyy of Ukraine. It lasted approximately one hour. Much of the discussion was based on the call made yesterday with President Putin in order to align both Russia and Ukraine in terms of their requests and needs. We are very much on track, and I will ask Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Security Advisor Michael Waltz to provide an accurate description of the points discussed. That statement will be put out shortly.”

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The conversation comes as Zelenskyy prepares to assess Trump’s dialogue with Putin, particularly regarding Putin’s pledge to halt strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. However, Zelenskyy remains deeply skeptical, citing 150 overnight Russian drone strikes targeting Ukraine’s energy facilities, despite Putin’s assurances.

Tensions over rare earth deal

Tensions between Trump and Zelenskyy escalated earlier on March 1 during a US-UK meeting meant to finalise a rare earth minerals deal for US access to Ukraine’s resources. Trump, frustrated with the talks, accused Zelenskyy of being “disrespectful” and abruptly cancelled the deal.

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Trump reportedly told Zelenskyy, “You are gambling with World War III,” and accused him of hindering peace by mistrusting Putin. “You see the hatred he has for Putin. That’s very tough for me to make a deal with,” Trump remarked. Zelenskyy pushed back, pointing to Putin’s repeated violations of past agreements, but Trump dismissed the concerns, insisting “Putin has never broken a deal with me personally.