Zelenskyy to hold talks with Trump, calls Putin’s words on halting Ukraine attacks ‘insufficient’

He reiterated that Ukraine would not accept any territorial concessions, stating, “For us, the red line is the recognition of the temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories as Russian. We will not go for it.”

During his call with Trump, Putin insisted that ending military aid and intelligence support to Ukraine must be a key condition for de-escalation. Trump, in turn, proposed a 30-day mutual freeze on strikes against energy and infrastructure targets, which Putin accepted.

Finland’s President Alexander Stubb, right and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy hug at the end of a joint press conference, at the Presidential Palace, in Helsinki, Finland, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (Heikki Saukkomaa/Lehtikuva via AP)

Commenting on Trump’s efforts to bring about peace, as Zelenskyy said he hope for an unconditional ceasefire at some point.

“We hope that America will continue to work and pressure Russia … to implement everything,” he said, adding that an unconditional ceasefire would be “one of the initial steps towards peace.”

“I believe that this year, the war can end with a dignified peace, but the security guarantees are definitely needed, otherwise Putin will come with the war again. That is his essence,” he said.

Following the conversation, Trump posted on Truth Social that they had reached an “immediate ceasefire on all energy and infrastructure” with the aim of negotiating a full ceasefire and “ultimately, an end to this very horrible war between Russia and Ukraine.”

Putin also assured that Ukrainian soldiers who surrendered would be treated fairly under Russian law and international conventions, following Trump’s appeal to spare their lives.