Following a “good” telephone conversation with US President Donald Trump on Thursday (May 8), Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that “Ukraine is ready to engage in talks in any format”, but demanded that Russia must demonstrate the seriousness of its intentions to end the three-year-long war.

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“I had a good conversation with @POTUS. We congratulated our nations on Victory in Europe Day — the victory over Nazism,” the Ukrainian leader said in an X post. “We welcomed the Ukrainian Parliament’s ratification of the Economic Partnership Agreement — a truly historic document that opens up many new opportunities for cooperation.”

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Zelensky added that he discussed the need for continued peace efforts, including concrete steps that could be taken. He said that Trump asked him about the situation on the battlefield, and he provided “a brief overview”.

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“I also informed him that Ukraine is ready for a 30-day ceasefire, starting even today. We are waiting for Russia to support this proposal. I also reaffirmed that Ukraine is ready to engage in talks in any format. But for that, Russia must demonstrate the seriousness of its intentions to end the war, starting with a full unconditional ceasefire,” Zelensky wrote on X. “President Trump confirmed that he wants this war to end, is ready to help, and supports the need for a ceasefire. We agreed on our further contacts.”

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Trump calls for ‘30-day unconditional ceasefire’

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Trump said that the talks with Russia and Ukraine are ongoing and the US has called for a “30-day unconditional ceasefire”.

“Hopefully, an acceptable ceasefire will be observed, and both Countries will be held accountable for respecting the sanctity of these direct negotiations. If the ceasefire is not respected, the U.S. and its partners will impose further sanctions,” the US president wrote on his Truth Social platform.

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“As President, I will stay committed to securing Peace between Russia and Ukraine, together with the Europeans, and a Lasting Peace it will be! This ceasefire must ultimately build toward a Peace Agreement. It can all be done very quickly, and I will be available on a moment’s notice if my services are needed,” he added.

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