On the heels of Tuesday’s almost two-hour call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for approximately 60 minutes in what the U.S. president described as a “very good call” regarding negotiations to bring an end to the Russia-Ukraine war.
This more polite exchange comes on the heels of a tense scene in the Oval Office in late February when Trump and Vice President JD Vance took the Ukrainian leader to task for not showing any gratitude for all the support the United States has provided.
It was a different tenor Wednesday:
"Just completed a very good telephone call with President Zelenskyy of Ukraine," Trump announced on his social media platform Truth Social just moments after the hour-long call wrapped. "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," Trump added.
🚨 BREAKING: Trump has had a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for an hour and says Russia and Ukraine are "on track" for peace.
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) March 19, 2025
You know it's a good thing when Trump has nice things to say after speaking to Zelensky.
"Much of the discussion was based on… pic.twitter.com/larQXL6K9u
Read More: Trump, Putin, Hold 90-Minute Call—'World Has Become a Much Safer Place Today'
BREAKING: Vladimir Putin Agrees 'In Principle' to Russian Ceasefire With Ukraine
As we reported Tuesday, Putin agreed to a 30-day ceasefire on energy facilities, although he did not agree to a full-on ceasefire as many had hoped and is still conducting military operations against Ukraine:
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday agreed to stop hitting Ukraine's energy infrastructure for 30-days, though the ceasefire did not extend to the frontlines or civilian populations as the Trump administration had originally hoped.
Despite skepticism from Ukraine and European leaders, special envoy Steve Witkoff on Wednesday said he believes a full ceasefire can be achieved in a couple of weeks.
Immediately following the call with Trump, Zelensky announced that Putin had agreed to release 175 Ukrainian prisoners and 22 other "defenders," which Zelensky posted about on social media:
Today is another day when Ukraine brings its people back. 175 of our defenders have been released from Russian captivity. Another 22 defenders are returning home through measures beyond exchanges. Among them are severely wounded warriors and those whom Russia persecuted for… pic.twitter.com/r8vI7BiYxn
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) March 19, 2025
Among them are severely wounded warriors and those whom Russia persecuted for fabricated crimes. All of them will immediately receive the necessary medical and psychological assistance.
Both Putin and Zelensky are wily negotiators, and neither wants to give up too much ground. There should be no illusions that peace will come easily with these two. Still, it seems as if Trump and Witkoff are making progress and at least getting the two adversaries to talk. RedState will keep you updated with new developments as they arise.
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