Trump talks with Zelensky for an hour… Directly explains summit results with Putin

U.S. President Donald Trump spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and directly explained the outcome of the U.S.-Russia summit, AFP reported on the 16th (local time).

According to the Office of the President of Ukraine, President Trump spoke with President Zelensky for over an hour, then held conversations with other European leaders such as those of the United Kingdom, France, and Germany. The White House also confirmed President Trump’s series of calls.

A spokesperson for the European Union (EU) Commission stated, "President Zelensky spoke for over an hour, and in addition also talked with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen."

This series of calls aimed to directly explain the results of the summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin and to discuss future measures. AP reported that, while European leaders welcomed President Trump’s diplomatic efforts, they also urged for a Trump-Putin-Zelensky three-way summit.

The leaders also emphasized that decisions regarding Ukrainian territory are up to Ukraine and underlined the need for security assurances for Ukraine, promising continued military support, the agency added.

However, Russian state TV channel Vesti, citing Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov, reported that there was no discussion of holding a three-way summit between Putin, Trump, and Zelensky during the recent summit.

Sesung Oh, Hankyung.com Reporter sesung@hankyung.com