Just hours before the planned Wednesday call, Ukrainian officials alleged Russians had already breached a limited cease-fire halting energy sector attacks.
President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy are speaking by phone on Wednesday morning as Trump works to broker peace between Ukraine and Russia.
The call comes a day after Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin, in which they discussed a 30-day cease-fire whereby Russia and Ukraine would each agree to stop attacking each other’s energy sites.
Following that Tuesday call, the Kremlin said Putin had immediately passed down the order to halt new Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy sector.
Just hours before the Wednesday call with Washington, Zelenskyy alleged Russian forces had already faltered.
Speaking at a press conference in Finland, Zelenskyy said Russian forces launched around 150 attack drones toward Ukraine in the hours after Trump concluded his call with Putin. He said those Russian attack drones had targeted Ukrainian energy sites, transportation systems, and hospitals.
Russian officials claimed Ukrainian forces had also targeted an oil transfer site in Russia’s Krasnodar region on Wednesday, setting fire to an oil tank there.
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Last week, Zelenskyy had voiced his support for a U.S.-backed proposal for a 30-day cease-fire covering not just energy sector sites but all aspects of the ongoing Russia–Ukraine war. Putin had expressed willingness to enter into the more expansive temporary cease-fire but raised questions about how the deal would be monitored and enforced.
Following Trump and Putin’s call on Tuesday, the White House said the next round of negotiations would concern a cease-fire at sea and then a more comprehensive cease-fire and eventual permanent peace.
“These negotiations will begin immediately in the Middle East,” the White House said on Tuesday.
This is a developing story and will be updated with additional details.
