Downing Street welcomes Trump’s ceasefire deal progress after Zelensky call
The US president had suggested during the call that America takes ownership of Ukrainian power plants to ensure their security, the White House said.
Downing Street has welcomed the “progress President Trump has made towards a ceasefire deal” after the US leader’s call with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Mr Zelensky said that he believes a “lasting peace can be achieved this year” and that Ukraine was “ready to implement” the ending of strikes on energy and other civilian infrastructure after his conversation with Donald Trump on Wednesday.
During the conversation, the US president had suggested America takes ownership of Ukrainian power plants to ensure their security, the White House has said.
In a statement on Wednesday evening, a Downing Street spokesperson said: “We welcome the progress President Trump has made towards a ceasefire deal, and we will continue to work with international partners on putting Ukraine in the strongest possible position.
“We now need to ensure the implementation of the ceasefire deal to see a just and lasting peace in Ukraine.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin and the US leader agreed to a limited ceasefire on energy and infrastructure targets earlier this week, but air strikes have continued as the Kremlin held off from accepting a 30-day truce backed by Washington and Ukraine.
In a post on X on Wednesday afternoon, Mr Zelensky said he had a “positive, very substantive and frank” conversation with Mr Trump, and said that Ukraine was “ready to implement” the ending of strikes on energy and other civilian infrastructure.
He thanked Mr Trump for the talks in Saudi Arabia last week, and added: “We agreed that Ukraine and the United States should continue working together to achieve a real end to the war and lasting peace.
“We believe that together with America, with President Trump, and under American leadership, lasting peace can be achieved this year.”
Mr Zelensky said they will “continue working” to make a ceasefire happen and suggested there would be further meetings “in the coming days” in Saudi Arabia between the US and Ukrainian teams.
“I highlighted the importance of President Trump’s concept of peace through strength,” the Ukrainian president added.
Mr Trump told Mr Zelensky during their call that the US could be “very helpful in running those plants with its electricity and utility expertise”, according to a White House statement from US secretary of state Marco Rubio and national security adviser Mike Waltz.
The US president added that “American ownership of those plants could be the best protection for that infrastructure”.
In a post on Truth Social earlier in the afternoon he had said that the call was “very good” and “we are very much on track”.
Diplomatic efforts have been continuing in search of a potential peace deal, including the talks between the US and Ukraine in Saudi Arabia last week.
Sir Keir Starmer spoke with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Wednesday evening and congratulated him for last week’s conversations.
Issuing a readout of the call, a Downing Street spokesperson said: “Both leaders agreed that securing a just and lasting peace is in everyone’s interest, and they both looked forward to seeing progress as talks resume on Sunday”.
The call between the US and Ukrainian leaders came after Mr Zelensky spoke with Sir Keir on Tuesday evening.
Downing Street labelled the Russian leader’s resistance to accepting a ceasefire without conditions as “disappointing”.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “We obviously welcome President Trump’s efforts to secure a ceasefire in this space, but it is also disappointing that Putin has not agreed to a full-on, immediate ceasefire without conditions, as Ukraine has done.”
At Prime Minister’s Questions earlier on Wednesday, Sir Keir told MPs: “Last night, I spoke to President Zelensky to discuss progress that President Trump had made with Russia towards a ceasefire.
“And I took the opportunity to reaffirm our unwavering support to the people of Ukraine.”
