© EPA/MICHAEL REYNOLDS It is not known whether Putin knows about this.
As reported by Axios, citing a Ukrainian representative and a couple of additional sources informed about the discourse, President Donald Trump communicated to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky his ambition to bring the conflict in Ukraine to a swift conclusion.
The half-hour conversation marked the initial interaction between Trump and Zelensky since their encounter in Davos towards the close of January. This conversation occurred a day after the fourth anniversary of Russia's comprehensive incursion into Ukraine, and a day prior to the scheduled rendezvous in Geneva between Trump’s special envoys, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, and Zelensky’s negotiation team.
Allegedly, both special envoys were also present during Wednesday’s call.
Another source indicates that Kirill Dmitriev, a Russian representative, might also be in Geneva on Thursday for independent deliberations with American special envoys.
All three sources highlighted that the discourse between Trump and Zelensky was notably amicable and optimistic.
A Ukrainian official and another source stated that Zelensky expressed gratitude to Trump for all the aid furnished and conveyed that Trump was uniquely positioned to compel Putin to cease the war.
“Subsequent to this, Zelensky voiced his aspiration for the war’s cessation this year, to which Trump responded that the war had persisted excessively long and expressed his preference for its termination within a month,” one of the sources mentioned.
Among the matters that Zelensky and Trump addressed was the potential of orchestrating a trilateral summit of leaders.
The previous week, Zelensky informed Axios that disagreements over the territorial question could be resolved via direct discussions involving himself, Trump, and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
I am ready to meet with Putin, the war must be stopped – Zelensky
Trump informed Zelensky that he would endeavor to arrange such a trilateral gathering if the forthcoming session of negotiators from the United States, Russia, and Ukraine, slated for early March, exhibits further advancement.
“We anticipate that this session will afford an avenue to escalate the negotiations to the leadership stratum. President Trump endorses this sequence of actions. This constitutes the sole means of resolving all intricate and delicate matters and ultimately concluding the conflict,” Zelensky penned on the X social platform.
As per the Ukrainian official, Trump also affirmed his readiness to bestow Ukraine with substantial security assurances from the United States as a constituent of a prospective peace accord with Russia.