US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had what Trump called a "very good phone call", the first between the US president and his Ukrainian counterpart since their verbal clash at the White House three weeks ago, the Guardian newspaper reported, BTA reported in its press review of yesterday's phone call between Trump and Zelensky.
Zelensky described the call as "positive, very substantive and frank" and said he had agreed to the partial ceasefire that Trump had negotiated with Russian President Vladimir Putin a day earlier, the publication added.
The last meeting between Trump and Zelensky ended in an angry exchange of remarks between the two presidents and US Vice President J.D. Vance, the Guardian commented. Since then, Zelensky has sought to mend his relationship with Trump. In a transcript of yesterday's conversation released by the Ukrainian presidency, Zelensky repeatedly thanked Trump, the newspaper noted.
Zelensky is trying to establish better relations with the White House, which at times has been openly hostile towards him and more friendly towards Putin, the “Washington Post“ writes. Last month, for example, Trump called the democratically elected Zelensky a “dictator“ and told him that “you don't hold the cards right now“, the capital's newspaper points out.
However, Trump and other senior White House officials yesterday appeared to soften their tone towards Zelensky and Kiev after weeks of criticism of the Ukrainian leader, the publication commented.
The White House even said that Washington plans to continue providing Kiev with military and intelligence assistance after a several-day pause earlier this month, despite Kremlin demands to stop the aid, notes “The Washington Post“.
Trump's efforts to broker a deal are putting Zelensky in an awkward position, writes the “New York Times“. The Ukrainian leader fears that in his eagerness to strike a deal with Putin, Trump could force Ukraine to make unwanted concessions, the publication said.
Zelensky has few leverage, given that US military and economic support is crucial to his country's ability to defend itself against the Russians, so he has done everything he can to accommodate Trump, the newspaper commented.
In the first conversation between the leaders after their Oval Office spat, the US president offered Zelensky control of Ukraine's energy infrastructure and nuclear power plants, saying that US ownership "would be the best protection" for them, the British newspaper wrote. „Telegraph“.
American control of Ukraine's energy infrastructure would be a significant step and could act as a safeguard for regional security without the need for military intervention, the newspaper said.
However, the move would mean Ukraine would lose control of its nuclear potential, the „Telegraph“ writes. Ukraine agreed to give up its nuclear arsenal 30 years ago and pledged not to „receive, produce or acquire nuclear weapons“, but a report by a Ukrainian think tank in November said the country could construct a simple nuclear device „within months“, using plutonium extracted from spent fuel from its nuclear power plants, the British newspaper noted.