Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appealed to U.S. President Donald Trump during a Saturday phone call to leverage his recent Middle East diplomacy to resolve the ongoing Ukraine crisis. The discussion followed a large-scale Russian attack on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, which Kyiv claims has diverted global attention from the conflict.
Zelenskyy praised Trump's announcement of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas earlier in the week, calling it "outstanding" in a Facebook post. "If a war can be stopped in one region, then surely others can be stopped as well," he wrote, urging Trump to pressure Moscow into negotiations.
The appeal comes amid escalating violence. Ukrainian officials reported at least five civilian deaths and power outages in southern regions after Saturday's strikes, while Russian authorities accused Kyiv of fatal drone attacks on Russian soil. Both sides have traded blame for stalled peace talks, with Russia alleging Western interference and Ukraine accusing Moscow of territorial ambitions.
Analysts note that diplomatic momentum has slowed since the Israel-Hamas conflict intensified, though Trump's August meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin failed to yield progress. As global powers balance multiple crises, Zelenskyy's public outreach underscores Ukraine's push to regain international focus on what he termed "the Russian war."
