Zelensky confirms prisoner exchange, says he has not yet spoken with Trump after Putin call
Editor’s Note: This is a developing story and is being updated.
President Volodymyr Zelensky has not spoken with U.S. President Donald Trump since his White House phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier on March 18, the Ukrainian news outlet Suspilne reported.
Trump and Putin held a 1.5-hour phone call earlier in the day, during which Putin agreed to a 30-day pause on energy infrastructure attacks while rejecting Washington’s proposal for a complete cessation of hostilities.
Zelensky told reporters on March 18 that he had not yet spoken with Trump about his conversation with Putin, but that he expected to discuss the matter in detail soon. He also said Kyiv supports a halt on energy infrastructure attacks in principle.
“I expect that we will have a conversation with President Trump, we will understand the details,” Zelensky said.
“We have always supported the position of not attacking the energy sector with any weapons.”
During the conversation with Trump, Putin said that on March 19, Ukraine and Russia would each exchange 175 prisoners. He also said Moscow pledged to return more than 23 seriously wounded Ukrainian soldiers.
Zelensky confirmed that a prisoner swap would take place on March 19, saying it was a pre-planned exchange.
Zelensky also said that Putin’s rejection of Washington’s 30-day ceasefire plan signaled the Kremlin’s desire to “issue ultimatums” rather than negotiate peace in good faith.
“I would really like President Trump to hear and see what Putin wants,” Zelensky said.
“Putin wants to make several offensives in the Zaporizhzhia direction, in the east, in the Kharkiv and Sumy directions. Why? In order to put maximum pressure on Ukraine and then issue ultimatums from a position of strength."
Following Putin’s talk with Trump, the Kremlin issued a statement demanding a complete halt on all foreign military aid and intelligence to Ukraine, calling it a “key condition for avoiding an escalation of the war."
The Kyiv IndependentThe Kyiv Independent news desk