Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky praised his phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday in a social media post that outlined areas of engagement between the leaders regarding the war Russia started.
Zelensky said on X, formerly Twitter, that he had “a positive” conversation with Trump, whom he thanked. The call contrasts the leaders’ White House meeting on February 28, which ended in rancor.
A day after Trump touted his call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, in which a 30-day ceasefire was proposed, Zelensky said he and the U.S. president agreed that they should work to secure lasting peace, which they believed could “be achieved this year.”
Their conversation touched on intelligence sharing, ending strikes on energy and other civilian infrastructure, and the U.S. controlling Ukraine’s nuclear plants. Zelensky also later announced that Kyiv would receive a new batch of F-16 fighter jets.
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Stopping Strikes on Energy and Civilian Infrastructure
On X, Zelensky wrote that Trump had shared details about his prior conversation with Putin. One topic they raised was ending strikes on energy and other civilian infrastructure, which would ease pressure on Ukraine as it has faced regular barrages from Russian missiles and drones, particularly in winter.
The Russian leader had agreed to a 30-day ceasefire on energy infrastructure but stopped short of backing a full truce, and hours after his conversation with Trump, both sides of the conflict accused the other of launching strikes.
Moscow said Ukraine hit an oil depot in southern Russia, while Kyiv said Russia had hit hospitals and homes and knocked out power to some of its railways.
Zelensky said he was open to a partial halt on strikes on energy infrastructure, rail and port facilities that could be established quickly but that Ukraine would retaliate if Moscow violated the terms of such a ceasefire.
Unconditional Ceasefire on the Front Line
Zelensky also wrote that the U.S. proposed an unconditional ceasefire on the front line, which Ukraine accepted. He added that Kyiv would work to make this happen to create the possibility for a comprehensive peace agreement to be prepared during the ceasefire.
Elina Beketova, a fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis, told Newsweek that it was unclear what the outcome of the U.S.-Russia talks might be from the official statements. She added that what happened behind closed doors would become evident from the situation on the front lines and Russia’s willingness to stop attacking Ukraine.
“Ukrainians are concerned because right after the Trump-Putin talks on a ceasefire, Russia launched an attack on Ukraine with 145 drones and ballistic missiles,” Beketova said.
I had a positive, very substantive, and frank conversation with President of the United States Donald Trump @POTUS. I thanked him for a good and productive start to the work of the Ukrainian and American teams in Jeddah on March 11—this meeting of the teams significantly helped… pic.twitter.com/JFBd5EeIkg
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) March 19, 2025
Ukraine’s Nuclear Plants
Trump was equally effusive about his phone call with Zelensky, and the White House said separately that possible U.S. ownership of Ukraine’s nuclear power plants had been discussed.
In a joint statement, National Security Adviser Mike Waltz and Secretary of State Marco Rubio said U.S. ownership of the plants would be the best way to protect them and support Ukrainian energy infrastructure.
Zelensky later said this referred only to the Zaporizhzhia facility, Europe’s largest. Its capture by Russian forces and location in the middle of hostilities have raised fears over a grave nuclear incident.
Trump’s push for control of Ukraine’s nuclear power plants is reportedly linked to his support for a minerals deal as Ukrainian repayment for U.S. military assistance, which was shelved after his White House spat with Zelensky.
Intelligence Sharing and Future U.S. Support
Zelensky asked Trump for more air defense support to protect his country against Russian attacks, particularly Patriot missile systems. According to the White House, the U.S. president said he would help locate the necessary military equipment in Europe.
The White House also said both sides had reviewed the situation in Russia’s Kursk region, where Ukraine staged an incursion in August, and that the American intelligence community would continue to share information with Kyiv.
Earlier this month, the Trump administration paused intelligence to Kyiv pending a review, a widely criticized move.
On Wednesday, Zelensky also announced that a new shipment of Western F-16 fighter jets had arrived in Ukraine, but he did not disclose how many or their origin.
Zelensky thanked Trump’s productive start to the work of the Ukrainian and American delegations that met in Saudi Arabia on March 11, but tougher negotiations may lie ahead when they meet in the kingdom on Sunday.
Rafael Loss, a policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, told Newsweek that a breakthrough toward a sustainable and just peace for Ukraine remained unlikely.
He added, “Putin’s flattery, however, might get him closer to achieving through diplomacy what he fails to achieve militarily: controlling Ukraine’s fate as a state and nation.”