Zelensky, Trump hold phone call ahead of Ukraine-US talks in Geneva
Editor's note: This story has been updated to include additional details.
President Volodymyr Zelensky held a phone call on Feb. 25 with his American counterpart Donald Trump ahead of planned talks between senior officials from both countries in Geneva.
Zelensky confirmed the call in a social media post, saying Trump's representatives, U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and adviser Jared Kushner, also participated.
"I just spoke with U.S. President Donald Trump. President Trump's representatives, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, were also on the call," Zelensky wrote. "Our teams are working hard right now, and I thanked them for all their efforts and such involvement in the negotiations, in the work to end the war."
According to unnamed sources cited by Axios, the conversation was described as friendly and positive. Zelensky reportedly said he hopes the war can end this year, while Trump said he wanted it to end within a month.
The call came a day before Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov is scheduled to meet with Witkoff and Kushner in Geneva on Feb. 26.
Zelensky said the leaders discussed the agenda for the upcoming bilateral meeting and preparations for a broader round of talks in early March involving full negotiating teams in a trilateral format. He said the goal of the upcoming meetings is to pave the way for negotiations at the leadership level.
"President Trump supports this sequence of steps. Only in this way can all the complex and sensitive issues be resolved and the war finally ended," Zelensky wrote.
Zelensky also expressed appreciation for the PURL program — a mechanism through which Ukraine can purchase U.S. missiles for its air defense systems.
"This winter is the most difficult for Ukraine, but the missiles for air defense systems that we can purchase from the U.S. are very helpful in getting through all these challenges and protecting lives," he wrote.
