Trump has 'very good' phone call with Ukraine's Zelenskyy

WASHINGTON — Donald Trump had what he called a “very good” telephone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and again vowed to bring about a deal to end the war with Russia — though without saying how he’d do it.

The two men spoke earlier Friday, Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform. He added that he appreciated Zelenskyy “for reaching out” and promised Russia and Ukraine would “come together and negotiate a deal that ends the violence and paves a path forward to prosperity.”

Zelenskyy confirmed the meeting in a post to X, saying that he had congratulated Trump for winning the Republican presidential nomination at his party’s convention in Milwaukee this week. He also condemned what he called the “shocking assassination attempt” against Trump last weekend.

“Ukraine will always be grateful to the United States for its help in strengthening our ability to resist Russian terror,” Zelenskyy said. Without saying so explicitly, he appeared to indicate that he and Trump had made at least tentative plans to meet.

“We agreed with President Trump to discuss at a personal meeting what steps can make peace fair and truly lasting,” Zelenskyy said.

The call appeared to be part of a delicate bit of diplomacy for Zelenskyy, whose forces have relied on billions of dollars of American military assistance to fight the Russian forces who invaded in 2022. He wants to keep Trump on his side if he defeats President Joe Biden in November.

Trump has suggested the U.S. has spent too much money on the war in Ukraine, while his choice for vice president, J.D. Vance, has been even more skeptical, once telling Steve Bannon’s podcast he doesn’t “really care what happens to Ukraine one way or the other.”

Trump and Zelenskyy have a fraught history. Trump’s first impeachment stemmed from a 2019 phone call in which the then-U.S. president urged the newly elected Zelenskyy to dig up dirt on Biden, his opponent in the 2020 election, and his son Hunter. Trump also briefly withheld nearly $400 million in aid to Ukraine.

In his debate with Biden last month, Trump said he would end the Russia-Ukraine war between his election and inauguration day. Zelenskyy challenged that in a subsequent interview with Bloomberg Television, saying Trump should come forward with a plan and warning that any proposal must avoid violating the nation’s sovereignty.