Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked President Donald Trump in what the White House described as a “fantastic” phone call after the United States’ leader spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin the day before.
Trump spoke with Zelenskyy for an hour Wednesday to discuss his Tuesday call with Putin in an effort to “align both Russia and Ukraine in terms of their requests and needs,” the president wrote in a Truth Social post Wednesday. In Trump’s hours-long phone call with Putin, the Russian president agreed to an “energy and infrastructure ceasefire.” (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Senior White House Officials Detail How Trump-Zelenskyy Oval Meeting Went Off The Rails)
“Just completed a very good telephone call with President Zelenskyy of Ukraine. It lasted approximately one hour. 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,” Trump wrote.
“We are very much on track, and I will ask Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and National Security Advisor Michael Waltz, to give an accurate description of the points discussed. That Statement will be put out shortly,” he continued.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Security Adviser Mike Waltz announced in a joint statement that the call was “fantastic” and noted that Zelenskyy thanked Trump both for the support of the United States and for “a productive start for the work of the Ukrainian and American teams in Jeddah.”
When Zelenskyy last visited the Oval Office, Vance hit the Ukrainian leader over his apparent lack of gratitude.
“Have you said ‘thank you’ once?” Vance previously asked. “Offer some words of appreciation for the United States of America and the president who’s trying to save your country.”
During the call, Waltz and Rubio wrote, Zelenskyy asked for additional air defense systems, “particularly Patriot missile systems.” Trump agreed to help Zelenskyy find what type of materials are available in Europe.
Statement from Secretary Rubio and NSA Waltz on Call with Zelenskyy
“Today, President Donald J. Trump and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had a fantastic phone conversation. President Zelenskyy thanked President Trump for a productive start for the work of the Ukrainian…— Keith Kellogg (@generalkellogg) March 19, 2025
At the end of February, Zelenskyy paid a visit to the White House where he was expected to sign onto a Trump administration-negotiated agreement that would jointly develop mineral extraction projects in Ukraine. But after taking questions in the Oval Office from reporters for nearly an hour, an argument broke out.
“During 2015, nobody stopped [Putin]. He just occupied them too. He killed people,” Zelenskyy said. “[Throughout] 2014 and 2022, the situation [was] the same. People have been dying on the contact line, nobody stopped him … He broke this ceasefire. He killed our people and he didn’t exchange prisoners. We signed the exchange of prisoners. But he didn’t do it. What kind of diplomacy, J.D., are you speaking about? What do you mean?”
“I’m talking about the kind of diplomacy that’s going to end the destruction of your country,” Vance said. “Mr. President, Mr. President, with respect, I think it’s disrespectful for you to come into the Oval Office and try to litigate this in front of the American media.”
At one point, Trump told Zelenskyy, “You’re gambling with World War III.”
The meeting resulted in Trump cancelling peace negotiations for the time being and kicking the world leader out of the White House, an administration official told the Daily Caller.
“This was set up to be like every other state visit. This was an Oval Office spray, [there’d be] the cordial handshake and take a couple questions and then go on to lunch,” a senior White House aide previously told the Daily Caller of the Ukrainian president’s visit.
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