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Trump and Zelenskyy Wrap up Call a Day after Talks with Russia about Possible Ceasefire

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy looks on, during a joint press conference with Finland's President Alexander Stubb, at the Presidential Palace, in Helsinki, Finland, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (Heikki Saukkomaa/Lehtikuva via AP)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy looks on, during a joint press conference with Finland's President Alexander Stubb, at the Presidential Palace, in Helsinki, Finland, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (Heikki Saukkomaa/Lehtikuva via AP)
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Trump and Zelenskyy Wrap up Call a Day after Talks with Russia about Possible Ceasefire

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy looks on, during a joint press conference with Finland's President Alexander Stubb, at the Presidential Palace, in Helsinki, Finland, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (Heikki Saukkomaa/Lehtikuva via AP)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy looks on, during a joint press conference with Finland's President Alexander Stubb, at the Presidential Palace, in Helsinki, Finland, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (Heikki Saukkomaa/Lehtikuva via AP)

President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy discussed the path to a ceasefire between Kyiv and Moscow on Wednesday, a day after the US leader held similar talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.

Trump's call with Zelenskyy was about half the length of his call Tuesday, during which Putin agreed not to target Ukraine’s energy infrastructure but refused to back a full 30-day ceasefire.

In a social media post, Trump said his call with Zelenskyy was to “align both Russia and Ukraine in terms of their requests and needs” as he seeks to bring a halt to fighting.

“We are very much on track,” Trump added, saying Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Security Advisor Michael Waltz would provide further details of the conversation.

Prior to his call with Trump, Zelenskyy said Putin’s limited ceasefire pledge was “very much at odds with reality” following an overnight barrage of drone strikes across the country.

“Even last night, after Putin’s conversation with ... Trump, when Putin said that he was allegedly giving orders to stop strikes on Ukrainian energy, there were 150 drones launched overnight, including on energy facilities,” Zelenskyy said at a news conference in Helsinki with Finnish President Alexander Stubb.

The Kremlin says Kyiv isn't upholding its end of the bargain Russia responded by saying it had halted its targeting of Ukraine's energy facilities and accused Kyiv of attacking equipment near one of its pipelines.

“Unfortunately, we see that for now there is no reciprocity on the part of the Kyiv regime," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

The White House described the call between Trump and Putin as the first step in a “movement to peace” that Washington hopes will include a maritime ceasefire in the Black Sea and eventually a full and lasting end to the fighting.

But there was no indication that Putin backed away from his conditions for a prospective peace deal, which are fiercely opposed by Kyiv.

White House national security adviser Mike Waltz said on social media that he and his Russian counterpart, Yuri Ushakov, agreed Wednesday that their teams would meet soon in Saudi Arabia, “to focus on implementing and expanding the partial ceasefire President Trump secured from Russia.”

It was not immediately clear who would be part of the delegations or if Ukrainian officials were also invited to take part in the Saudi Arabia talks.

Ukraine and Russia trade accusations

Shortly after the lengthy phone call between Trump and Putin on Tuesday, air raid sirens sounded in Kyiv, followed by explosions as residents took shelter.

Despite efforts to repel the attack, several strikes hit civilian infrastructure, including two hospitals, a railway and more than 20 houses, Zelenskyy said. Russian drones were reported over Kyiv, Zhytomyr, Sumy, Chernihiv, Poltava, Kharkiv, Kirovohrad, Dnipropetrovsk, and Cherkasy regions.

The Russian Defense Ministry said its military had launched seven drones at power facilities related to the military-industrial complex in Ukraine’s southern Mykolaiv region, but that it shot them down after receiving Putin’s order to not hit energy infrastructure.

Moscow accused Ukraine of targeting its energy facility in the Krasnodar region bordering the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia annexed in 2014, several hours after the Putin and Trump talks. The ministry said that three drones targeted oil transfer equipment that feeds the Caspian Pipeline Consortium, causing a fire and leading one oil tank to lose pressure.

“It is absolutely clear that we are talking about yet another provocation deliberately concocted by the Kyiv regime, aimed at derailing the peace initiatives of the US president,” the ministry said.

Russia said that its air defenses intercepted 57 Ukrainian drones over the Azov Sea and several Russian regions — the border provinces of Kursk and Bryansk and the nearby regions of Oryol and Tula.

Zelenskyy said that “words of a ceasefire” weren't enough.

“If the Russians don’t hit our facilities, we definitely won’t hit theirs,” Zelenskyy said.

Meanwhile, the two combatants said Wednesday that they had each swapped 175 prisoners in one of the largest exchanges of the war.

Ukraine's red line Zelenskyy rejected Putin’s key condition that Western allies stop providing military aid and intelligence to Ukraine. He said that doing so would endanger lives if citizens were blind to incoming air raids, and lead to the continuation of the war.

“I don’t think anybody should make any concessions in terms of helping Ukraine, but rather, assistance to Ukraine should be increased,” Zelenskyy said. “This will be a signal that Ukraine is ready for any surprises from the Russians.”

Nigel Gould-Davies, senior fellow for Russia and Eurasia at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said that it was “completely unsurprising” that Putin rejected the ceasefire, adding that it’s “imprudent for him to tell President Trump that directly, since Trump has made ending the war a very, very high priority.”

“What we have now, in effect, is a competition or rivalry between Kyiv and Moscow to persuade Trump that it’s the other side that is responsible for preventing Trump from achieving his goal of ending the war,” Gould-Davies said.

Zelenskyy said that one of the most difficult issues in future negotiations would be the issue of territorial concessions.

“For us, the red line is the recognition of the Ukrainian temporarily occupied territories as Russian,” he said. “We will not go for it.”

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World

Global Tributes Pour in to Honor Pope Francis after His Death

Pope Francis speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at The Vatican, Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023. (AP)
Pope Francis speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at The Vatican, Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023. (AP)
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Global Tributes Pour in to Honor Pope Francis after His Death

Pope Francis speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at The Vatican, Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023. (AP)
Pope Francis speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at The Vatican, Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023. (AP)

Church bells tolled in mourning. Well-wishers flocked into pews. Tributes to Pope Francis poured in from around the world on Monday after the Vatican announced the pontiff's death at age 88.

The 266th pope was praised for his groundbreaking steps to honor the poor and the vulnerable; seek to end conflicts like those in the Middle East, Ukraine and Africa; protect the environment; and guide the Catholic Church toward greater tolerance, among other things. Some critics say he didn't always go far enough. Others said he went too far.

Many recalled his legacy as the first pope from Latin America, and the first Jesuit to reach the pinnacle of church hierarchy, one who stressed humility over hubris for a Church beset with scandal and indifference — and even as a soccer fan from "futbol"-crazed Argentina.

Here's a look at some of the global reactions a day after his last public appearance on Easter Sunday to bless thousands of people in St. Peter’s Square.

— US Vice President JD Vance, who met with the pope on Easter Sunday before traveling to India, wrote on social media that his "heart goes out" to the millions of Christians who loved him, and said: "I was happy to see him yesterday, though he was obviously very ill."

— President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social: "Rest in Peace Pope Francis! May God Bless him and all who loved him!"

— King Charles III praised the pope for his work on safeguarding the planet, and alluded to their multiple personal meetings — including a private visit on April 10 at the Vatican. "We were greatly moved to have been able to visit him earlier in the month," the King wrote in a statement signed "Charles R." It was the pope’s first known meeting with a foreign dignitary after he was hospitalized for five weeks with double pneumonia.

— Church bells tolled in honor of Francis, from the recently reopened Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris to a lone bell at the St. Bartholomew Parish in Bulacan, in the Philippines, that was rung 88 times to signify "the 88 fruitful years of our dear Pope Francis," the parish wrote on social media.

The church was one of many in the Philippines, the largest Roman Catholic nation in Asia, to ring its bells to mourn the death of the pontiff, who in 2015 consoled survivors of Typhoon Haiyan and celebrated Mass before millions in Manila.

"Pope Francis showed us what it means to suffer with others and find hope in the midst of pain," said Manila Archbishop Jose Advincula, alluding to the devastation wreaked by Haiyan in 2013 that left more than 7,300 people dead or missing, flattened entire villages and displaced more than 5 million.

— French President Emmanuel Macron, speaking in the cyclone-battered Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte, France’s poorest territory, said Pope Francis ″was at the sides of the most vulnerable, the most fragile, with a lot of humility, and in these times of war and instability, with a particular sense of the other, of the most fragile.″

″Throughout his whole life he fought for more justice, throughout his whole life he fought for a certain idea of humanity, an idea of fraternal humanity.″

— Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, one of the few official visitors to see Francis during his recent hospitalization, alluded to the pope’s personal comfort and advice, saying it "never failed me, not even in times of trial and suffering." She added: "We are saying goodbye to a great man and a great shepherd." Flags were flown at half-staff on Monday across Italy and some top-level soccer matches were postponed.

— Argentine President Javier Milei, who had chilly relations with the pope, expressed sorrow. "Despite differences that seem minor today, having been able to know him in his kindness and wisdom was a true honor for me," the far-right president wrote on X. As a TV pundit and libertarian economist before assuming office in 2023, Milei had publicly insulted Pope Francis as "representative of the evil one on Earth" for his perceived sympathy toward left-wing leaders and causes.

— The pope's beloved soccer team — Buenos Aires club San Lorenzo, whose nickname is "The Saints" — wrote "Our soul hurts" on its website. The team won the national championship in 2013, the year he was elected pope. During a global conference on faith and sport in 2016, Francis implored leaders to do a better job of keeping corruption off the playing field and said sports must be protected from manipulations and commercial abuse.

— Lebanese President Joseph Aoun posted on X: "We in Lebanon, the land of diversity, feel the loss of a dear friend and a strong supporter. The late Pope always carried Lebanon in his heart and prayers, and he always called on the world to support Lebanon in its ordeal. We will never forget his repeated calls to protect Lebanon and preserve its identity and diversity."

— Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te expressed condolences on social media and said people there would "continue to draw inspiration from his lifelong commitment to peace, global solidarity, and caring for those in need." The Holy See is among Taiwan’s only 12 remaining diplomatic allies while China, which claims self-ruled Taiwan as its own territory, has been poaching others.

— South African President Cyril Ramaphosa noted the pope's "extraordinary life story" and said "Pope Francis advanced a world view of inclusion, equality and care for marginalized individuals and groups, as well as responsible and sustainable custody of the natural environment." Africa has seen some of the Catholic Church's biggest growth in recent years.

— European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen recalled the pontiff as an inspiration for the entire world, not just Christians. "He inspired millions, far beyond the Catholic Church, with his humility and love so pure for the less fortunate," she said on social media. "My thoughts are with all who feel this profound loss."

— Israeli President Issac Herzog, whose role is mostly ceremonial, called Francis a man of "deep faith and boundless compassion." Francis repeatedly criticized Israel’s wartime conduct in Gaza and said allegations of genocide, which Israel has adamantly denied, should be investigated. "I truly hope that his prayers for peace in the Middle East and for the safe return of the hostages will soon be answered," Herzog said on social media.

— The Palestine Red Crescent offered condolences to Christians, calling the pope "one of the most prominent supporters of justice and human dignity, including his noble stances regarding the suffering of the Palestinian people and their right to freedom and justice."

— In Gaza, Suheil Abu Dawoud, a 19-year-old Christian, recalled how Francis opposed the war in Gaza, called for peace between Palestinians and Israelis and had "asked us to be strong." The pope used his final Easter Sunday message to lament growing antisemitism, call for the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza, appeal to the fighting sides to reach a ceasefire, and "come to the aid of a starving people that aspires to a future of peace!"

— President Alexander Van der Bellen of Austria recalled how the pope traveled to the Italian island of Lampedusa, a key landing point for migrants seeking to reach Europe, to meet with refugees and commemorate those who died while trying to cross the Mediterranean. The Austrian leader said on social media that the pope's impact resonated in ways large and small: "He ensured that homeless people near St. Peter’s Square could shower. He criticized dehumanizing words and gestures. That was Pope Francis."

— President Vladimir Putin of Russia hailed the pope as a "consistent defender of the high values of humanism and justice." Last year, Francis suggested Ukraine should try to negotiate an end to the war with Russia. Critics said those comments suggested the pope was siding with Russia. Francis tried to maintain the Vatican’s traditional diplomatic neutrality, but that was often accompanied by apparent sympathy with Russia's rationale for invading Ukraine — as when he said NATO was "barking at Russia’s door" with its eastward expansion.

— Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on X that his war-torn country grieved together with Catholics and all Christians who looked to Pope Francis for spiritual support: "He knew how to give hope, ease suffering through prayer, and foster unity. He prayed for peace in Ukraine and for Ukrainians. Eternal memory!"

— Dutch King Willem-Alexander and his wife Queen Máxima, who like the pope was born in Argentina, recalled their "personal audience" with the pope at the Holy See in 2017 and how "Pope Francis radiated mercy in everything he did. With his deep-rooted faith in God’s love, he was the embodiment of benevolence and humanity." They called him a "committed guardian of the listening and loving Church, and as a result he succeeded in winning the hearts of many, both within the Roman Catholic Church and outside it."

— The Dalai Lama honored the pope in a letter to the Most Rev. Leopoldo Girelli, the Apostolic Nuncio to India, saying Francis "dedicated himself to the service of others, consistently revealing by his own actions how to live a simple, but meaningful life." "The best tribute we can pay to him is to be a warm-hearted person, serving others wherever and in whatever way we can," the Tibetan spiritual leader wrote.

— Former US President Joe Biden, who regularly attends Mass, on X called Francis "the People's Pope" and wrote: "I am better for having known him."