Phone call with Donald Trump and online briefing with journalists: key statements by Volodymyr Zelenskyy

The world is closely watching every diplomatic signal and statement capable of bringing the long-awaited end of the war closer. Everyone hopes for concrete steps, agreements and guarantees that the war in Ukraine can finally end. That is why Volodymyr Zelenskyi’s telephone conversation with Donald Trump on March 19 attracted special attention – it contained specific theses about possible steps towards peace.

Zelenskyi in the social network Kh made public details of this conversation, calling it “frank” and “meaningful”, and clearly stated that real peace can be achieved already this year.

“I had a positive, very meaningful and frank conversation with US President Donald Trump. I thanked him for the good and productive start of the work of the Ukrainian and American teams in Jeddah on March 11 – this meeting of the teams significantly helped to move towards ending the war. We agreed that Ukraine and the United States should continue to cooperate to achieve a real end to the war and lasting peace. We believe that together with America, with President Trump and under the American leadership, this year we can achieve lasting peace” Zelensky emphasized.

The President of Ukraine also reported that during the conversation, Trump shared some details of the conversation with Vladimir Putin. One of the key points of discussion was the cessation of attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure and other civilian objects as the first step towards a complete end to the war. Zelensky emphasized that Ukraine supports this idea and is ready to implement it. This topic has already been discussed during the talks in Jeddah and is currently being worked on.

“President Trump shared the details of the conversation with Putin and the key issues that were discussed. One of the first steps to a complete end to the war could be to stop attacks on energy and other civilian infrastructure. I supported this step, and Ukraine confirmed that we are ready to implement it. Our teams discussed this step in Jeddah. The American side also offered an unconditional ceasefire on the front lines, and Ukraine accepted this offer. We will continue to work to make this happen. We we believe that such steps are necessary to create an opportunity to prepare a comprehensive peace agreement during the ceasefire.

I also reported on the situation on the battlefield and the consequences of the Russian strikes. We talked about the situation in the Kursk region, touched on the issue of the release of prisoners of war, the return of Ukrainian children taken by Russian troops. We also discussed the state of Ukraine’s air defense and the possibilities of strengthening it to protect life.” – said Volodymyr Zelenskyi.

Zelensky announced that in the coming days the Ukrainian and American delegations will meet again in Saudi Arabia to continue coordination:

“We instructed our teams to resolve technical issues related to the implementation and extension of the partial ceasefire regime. Ukrainian and American teams are ready to meet in Saudi Arabia in the coming days to continue coordinating steps towards peace. We instructed our advisors and representatives to do this work as soon as possible. We noted the positive work of our advisors and representatives — Rubio, Waltz, Kellogg, Yermak, Sibikha, Umerov, Palisa. At further meetings teams can agree on all the necessary aspects of progress towards lasting peace and security guarantees.”

In addition, on March 19, Volodymyr Zelenskyi held online briefing with journalists, during which he outlined the key topics that currently define the political and diplomatic agenda. The head of state talked about important contacts with allies, discussion of further steps on the way to peace, the situation at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the issue of territorial integrity of Ukraine, the possibility of a ceasefire and the prospect of placing a foreign contingent on Ukrainian territory. Separately, the president confirmed the arrival of additional F-16 fighter jets in Ukraine. Here are the main recent statements of the President of Ukraine:

One of the main topics of the briefing was Zelensky’s phone conversation with Trump. The President of Ukraine said that during the conversation, the issue of civil infrastructure protection was discussed in detail. Zelensky emphasized that he conveyed a clear understanding to the American side: the concept of “civilian infrastructure” is very broad and covers the railway network, port infrastructure and a number of other strategic objects. According to him, Ukraine is currently preparing a specific list of what should be classified as civil infrastructure objects, and is ready to present it to partners for joint work on stopping attacks on these objects.

The presidents of Ukraine and the United States paid special attention to the situation at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. Zelenskyy emphasized that Ukraine is ready to conduct substantive negotiations with the United States regarding the restoration, modernization and attraction of investments in the reconstruction of the ZNPP. According to him, the restoration of the station is a strategic issue that affects not only the energy security of Ukraine, but also the whole of Europe.

The president did not miss the extremely difficult topic of territorial integrity:

“The issue of territories will be the most difficult. I feel it, we understand it. It will be a challenge, and we will defend Ukraine as much as possible. It will be very difficult for us.”

He clearly emphasized that Ukraine does not recognize any Ukrainian territories as Russian and will insist on the full restoration of its borders.

Speaking about the possibility of a ceasefire, the president expressed cautious optimism. He considers a realistic scenario of a quick ceasefire and the end of the war, provided there is a political will that has been expressed to the world community. At the same time, Zelensky warned against attempts to “freeze” the war for years, as this will only delay the active phase of hostilities and lead to a new escalation in the future.

“If the ceasefire lasts for years, it will freeze the conflict. And then the war will come again.” – he emphasized.

The president also talked about Russia’s position on the ceasefire. According to Zelensky, Putin is currently not interested in ending hostilities. There are several reasons: the Russian army is not in a weak position at the front, the Kremlin will not agree to a ceasefire while Ukrainian troops control part of the Kursk region, and Russia continues to accumulate troops for a possible new attack on Ukraine. The purpose of this accumulation is an attempt to increase the pressure and create better conditions for themselves in the negotiations.

Another important topic was the question of the foreign contingent in Ukraine. Zelenskyi said that work is currently underway on a general vision of where exactly foreign troops can be stationed. The President noted that different countries voice different proposals and approaches regarding the participation of their military in guaranteeing the security of Ukraine.

“There are countries that are ready to provide a contingent, there are countries that are ready to provide a contingent in case of repeated aggression, there are those that are ready to deploy a contingent at the border, there are those that are ready to deploy in dangerous places, in large cities, there are those that are ready to operate at sea.” Zelensky said.

At the end of the briefing, the president made a loud announcement that additional F-16 fighter jets had already arrived in Ukraine. Zelensky emphasized that this is an extremely important step for strengthening the country’s defense capabilities and protecting its airspace.

“Additional F-16s have arrived in Ukraine – this is good news,” he said, without specifying the exact number of aircraft. Zelensky also denied the information spread by the Russian side about the alleged downing of the F-16.

“The Russians lied that they shot down the F-16. A lie. No one shot down the F-16, but several planes flew into Ukraine.” he declared.

During a briefing with journalists, the President of Ukraine unexpectedly called French leader Emmanuel Macron. Zelensky politely apologized in English and offered to postpone the conversation:

“Excuse me, Emmanuel, I have a conversation with a journalist right now, can I call you back in 15-20 minutes?”

After that, Zelensky told the audience:

“I just spoke with President Macron. We are in touch very often – on average once a day. Relations between Ukraine and France are very close now, and Macron is really helping a lot. I am grateful to him for that. I will definitely call him back after talking with you.” – added the president.

Summing up the briefing, the President of Ukraine clearly outlined the main point: Ukraine will defend its territory, actively work with international partners to achieve peace, and ensure its defense by all available means. At the same time, the Ukrainian state will not allow any compromises regarding sovereignty and territorial integrity.