Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy announced plans to speak with President Donald Trump on Wednesday, emphasizing the need for U.S. supervision of a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia—one he claimed Russian President Vladimir Putin had already disregarded.
Just hours after their leaders tentatively agreed to halt attacks on energy infrastructure, Moscow and Kyiv accused one another of launching fresh airstrikes that caused significant damage.
During a joint press conference in Helsinki with Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Zelenskiy stressed that Putin’s assurances alone were insufficient and announced that Ukraine would submit a list of energy facilities for the U.S. and its allies to monitor.
“I strongly believe that oversight is necessary, and the United States should be the primary guarantor of this process,” Zelenskiy stated, reiterating Kyiv’s willingness to uphold the truce.
“If Russian forces refrain from attacking our infrastructure, we will absolutely not target theirs,” he added.
The Kremlin asserted that Russia had suspended strikes on Ukraine’s energy grid following Putin’s call with Trump on Tuesday, even claiming that it had shot down its own drones en route to Ukrainian targets.
However, Ukrainian officials contradicted this claim, reporting that Russian drones struck two hospitals in Sumy and railway infrastructure in Dnipropetrovsk.
Zelenskiy pointed to the scale of the attack—145 drones, according to the Ukrainian air force—as proof that “Putin’s words do not match reality” and called for sustained Western military aid.
Meanwhile, Ukraine reported destroying 72 enemy drones, while Russia claimed to have downed 57 Ukrainian drones but did not disclose how many had been launched. Moscow also accused Kyiv of striking an oil pumping station in southern Russia.
Zelenskiy’s upcoming call with Trump marks their first direct conversation since last month’s tense White House meeting, which cast uncertainty over Kyiv’s relationship with its most crucial military ally.
The Ukrainian president said he would seek further details on Trump’s discussion with Putin and confirmed that Kyiv was preparing for technical talks with U.S. officials regarding partial ceasefire terms.
Meanwhile, President Stubb cautiously welcomed Trump and Putin’s phone call, calling it “a step in the right direction” but warning that Russia must face consequences if it fails to unconditionally honor the ceasefire.
“If Moscow refuses to cooperate, we must escalate efforts to fortify Ukraine and increase pressure on Russia to bring it to the negotiating table,” Stubb concluded.