According to Ukrainian media reports on February 26, Trump told Zelensky that he hoped to end Russia’s all-out war in Ukraine within a month.
According to the latest call between the two, quoted by the Axios website citing people familiar with the matter, Trump expressed his hope to push for a peace agreement as soon as possible. One of the sources said Trump believes the war "has gone on for too long" and wants to see it end within a month.
Three people familiar with the matter said the atmosphere of the 30-minute call was friendly and positive.
One of the sources said that during the call, Zelensky thanked the United States for its support and said that only Trump could persuade Putin to cease the war. Zelensky also expressed hope that the war will end this year.
The two leaders also discussed the possibility of holding a tripartite summit between Trump, Zelensky and Putin. Trump said he would push for such a meeting if talks between U.S., Russian and Ukrainian officials made progress in early March.
A Ukrainian official told Axios that Trump also reiterated his willingness to provide Ukraine with substantial U.S. security guarantees in a potential peace deal.
The call took place the day after the fourth anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine and shortly before planned talks in Geneva between U.S. envoys Kushner and Vitkov and members of Zelensky's negotiating team. Kushner and Vitkov also participated in the call.
Russian economic envoy Dmitriev may attend a separate meeting in Geneva, Axios website said, citing an anonymous source. According to Agence France-Presse, Russian state-run media TASS also reported that he would attend the meeting to discuss economic issues with U.S. officials.
After the call with Trump, Zelensky said on social media that they discussed the upcoming negotiating agenda in Geneva and preparations for a tripartite meeting of the full negotiating team in early March.
Zelensky wrote: "We expect this meeting to create opportunities to advance negotiations to the leadership level. President Trump supports this step arrangement. It is the only way to resolve all complex and sensitive issues and ultimately end the war."
The Ukrainian leader has previously said that a direct meeting with Putin is necessary to resolve the most difficult issues.
Ukraine and the United States are due to open a new round of talks in Geneva on Thursday aimed at ending Russia's four-year invasion, even as Moscow launched a new round of attacks in Ukraine overnight.
The Geneva meeting will bring together Ukraine's chief negotiator and former defense minister Umerov as well as Trump's envoys Vitkov and Kushner. A full three-party meeting including Russia is expected to be held in early March.
Kyiv hopes that substantive progress in the Geneva negotiations will pave the way for leadership-level negotiations.
Hours before the talks, Russian troops launched a wave of pre-dawn attacks. Explosions were heard in central Kiev after authorities issued an air threat alert.
The Ukrainian Air Force said high-speed targets were flying towards the capital, and later Kiev city officials confirmed that Russia had used drones and ballistic missiles.
Attacks were also reported in the Kharkiv, Zaporozhye and Dnipropetrovsk regions, where local authorities said dozens of people were injured.
The talks remain deadlocked, with the main disagreement over the future of the Donbass region in eastern Ukraine. Russia demands full control of the Donetsk region and threatens to seize it by force if Kiev refuses.
Ukraine rejected the request and insisted it would not agree to any deal without solid security guarantees against future aggression.
(Original title: Trump Pushes to End Russia's War in Ukraine Within a Month)
