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President Volodymyr Zelensky will speak with U.S. President Donald Trump on March 19, as Zelensky announced during a joint press conference with Finnish President Alexander Stubb.
"Today, I will contact President Trump. We will discuss the details of the next steps," Zelensky said.
The Ukrainian leader said he expects to hear details from Trump about his phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin on March 18.
Speaking about U.S.-Ukraine talks in Saudi Arabia, Zelensky said, "I believe everything was going in the right direction, although not for Russia, which is always unhappy when something goes right."
Following the call between Trump and Putin, the Kremlin issued a statement demanding the complete cessation of foreign military aid and intelligence sharing with Ukraine as a "key condition for avoiding an escalation of the war."
Zelensky warned that cutting off U.S. intelligence would leave Ukraine blind to Russian missile threats.
“(Putin) wants us not to know about these attacks so that our people do not go to the bomb shelter. This all signals the continuation of the war," Zelensky said, urging continued support for the besieged country.
During the Trump-Putin call, the Russian leader agreed to a limited 30-day pause on energy infrastructure attacks but did not commit to a broader ceasefire proposed by the U.S.
Zelensky dismissed Putin’s statement as inconsistent with Russia’s actions.
"Putin's words are very different from reality," he said, noting that Russia launched around 150 drones against Ukraine overnight, including against energy facilities, despite the claimed moratorium.
Zelensky also said that the next meeting in Saudi Arabia could focus on discussing a partial ceasefire, particularly regarding infrastructure and energy and the security of shipping routes.
"It will be a technical team. From our side, there will definitely be military officials, engineers, and people who understand port infrastructure. This is the technical level," he said.
When asked about red lines in future talks with Russia, Zelensky reiterated that Kyiv would never recognize Russian occupation of Ukrainian territories. He also rejected any discussion with Moscow about the size of Ukraine's military.
U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff told Fox News on March 18 that the next round of talks between the U.S. and Russia will take place on March 23 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
The upcoming conversation between Zelensky and Trump will mark their first talk since the heated Feb. 28 exchange in the Oval Office.
That meeting, initially meant to conclude a deal on Ukraine's mineral resources, quickly unraveled after Trump and Vice President JD Vance accused Zelensky of overestimating Ukraine’s leverage and failing to show sufficient gratitude for past U.S. aid.
Following the meeting, top White House officials demanded an apology from Zelensky. On March 4, he issued a conciliatory statement calling the Oval Office incident "regrettable" and expressing willingness to work toward peace under Trump's "strong leadership."
Martin Fornusek
