{"id":130536,"date":"2025-03-19T15:51:45","date_gmt":"2025-03-19T15:51:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/ukraine-war-latest-trump-says-hes-had-very-good-call-with-zelenskyy-after-hundreds-of-pows-freed-sky-news\/"},"modified":"2025-03-19T15:51:45","modified_gmt":"2025-03-19T15:51:45","slug":"ukraine-war-latest-trump-says-hes-had-very-good-call-with-zelenskyy-after-hundreds-of-pows-freed-sky-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/ukraine-war-latest-trump-says-hes-had-very-good-call-with-zelenskyy-after-hundreds-of-pows-freed-sky-news\/","title":{"rendered":"Ukraine war latest: Trump says he's had 'very good call' with Zelenskyy – after hundreds of PoWs freed – Sky News"},"content":{"rendered":"

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has spoken to Donald Trump this afternoon – in what the US president said was a “very good call”. Earlier, Zelenskyy criticised Vladimir Putin after his forces attacked Ukrainian energy targets – despite Putin’s pledge to Trump. Listen to Trump 100 as you scroll.
Wednesday 19 March 2025 15:45, UK
Live reporting by Ollie Cooper<\/a><\/i>
Security and defence analyst Michael Clarke returns tomorrow for his weekly Q&A on the Ukraine war – covering anything from the battlefield to the negotiating table.
He’ll tackle as many of your questions as he can at 1pm – submit yours in the box above.
Donald Trump has said “we are very much on track” after a “very good” call with the Ukrainian president.
“Just completed a very good telephone call with President Zelenskyy of Ukraine,” he said.
It lasted approximately one hour, the president said. 
“Much of the discussion was based on the call made yesterday with President Putin in order to align both Russia and Ukraine in terms of their requests and needs,” Trump said. 
“We are very much on track.” 
He also said he would ask the secretary of state, Marco Rubio, and his national security adviser, Mike Waltz, “to give an accurate description of the points discussed”.
“That statement will be put out shortly,” Trump added. 
While we wait for news from Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s call, let’s get the view from Russia on yesterday’s developments. 
Here’s Ivor Bennett<\/a><\/b> to talk you through whether Vladimir Putin will be satisfied with his own call with Donald Trump… 
A bit more from Mike Waltz, the US national security adviser. 
“I spoke today with my Russian counterpart Yuri Ushakov about President Trump’s efforts to end the war in Ukraine,” he said. 
“We agreed our technical teams would meet in Riyadh in the coming days to focus on implementing and expanding the partial ceasefire President Trump secured from Russia.”
Earlier, we reported Vladimir Putin’s claims that Russia was “completing the defeat” of Ukrainian forces in Kursk.
While Kyiv has said it has given up some territory, the army insists it is still fighting on Russian soil. 
“The operation is ongoing in the Kursk region,” the general staff said in an update this afternoon.
“Ukrainian soldiers have repelled nine enemy attacks today, four battles are still ongoing.”
Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy are now talking on the phone, the White House has said. 
The US president is taking the call from the Oval Office. 
It’s the first time the two leaders have spoken since the disastrous confrontation in the White House last month. 
US national security adviser Mike Waltz says he plans to speak to his counterparts in Russia and Ukraine today.
Speaking to reporters outside the White House, he said: “Shuttle diplomacy is difficult, it’s tough.
“But we are going back and forth at every level driving both sides toward a ceasefire and driving both sides toward the end of this war.”
Waltz also revealed some further details from Donald Trump’s “historic” call with Vladimir Putin.
On suggestions that the Russian leader left Trump waiting before the call began, Waltz said: “Donald J Trump does not sit and wait for an hour for any head of state.”
Ukraine’s president has also confirmed the prisoner swap with Russia that we mentioned in our last post. 
“This is one of the largest POW exchanges. Returning home are our soldiers, sergeants, and officers,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. 
He also shared these images on Telegram… 
Russia and Ukraine have exchanged hundreds of prisoners as arranged during the Trump-Putin call last night, Moscow says.
Moscow’s defence ministry said 175 Ukrainian soldiers had been swapped for 175 Russians.
Moscow also returned 22 heavily wounded Ukrainian prisoners in need of urgent medical care in what it called a “goodwill gesture”.
That’s one fewer than had been expected, with no reason given for the difference.
Moscow said the United Arab Emirates mediated the deal and that freed Russian soldiers were in Belarus awaiting to travel home.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy is speaking at the University of Helsinki with Alexander Stubb, Finland’s president.
He says he hopes Trump will increase pressure on Russian individuals and entities violating US sanctions.
He adds that Vladimir Putin will look for “any possibility” to avoid a full ceasefire.
As a reminder, Zelenskyy and Trump are expected to speak on the phone at 2pm UK time.
A planned phone call between Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Donald Trump is due to take place at 2pm UK time, according to reports.
Zelenskyy revealed he would be speaking with Trump at a news conference in Finland this morning (see 12.38pm post).
US news website Axios is reporting the call will happen at 10am ET (2pm UK time).
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