Trump, Putin speak before Zelenskiy’s White House visit

US President Donald Trump speaks on the phone with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, a day before Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s planned White House visit to get more support in the war with Russia.

Zelenskiy will meet Trump on Friday to press for more military support, including potential long-range offensive missiles, as Ukraine and Russia escalate their war with major attacks on energy systems.

According to the US president’s social media post, Trump and Putin had a long meeting on Thursday.

The Kremlin also confirmed the call, according to Russia’s state RIA news agency.

“The conversation is ongoing and long, and like President Putin, I will report its contents at the end,” Trump wrote on the Truth Social platform.

Ukraine is seeking US Tomahawk long-range missiles that would put Moscow and other major Russian cities within Ukraine’s missile firing range.

Republican Trump, who promised to end the war that Russia started with its invasion of Ukraine in 2022, expressed his growing disappointment with Putin due to the ongoing attacks.

Trump said he could supply weapons to Ukraine if Putin does not come to the negotiating table.

Zelenskiy said Russia launched more than 300 unmanned aerial vehicles and 37 missiles to target infrastructure across Ukraine in attacks overnight on Thursday.

Ukraine stepped up attacks against Russian targets on Thursday, including an oil refinery in the Saratov region.

As the war enters its fourth year, Russia has been hitting Ukraine’s energy and electrical facilities for consecutive winters.

In his latest warnings to Russia on Wednesday, Trump stated that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised to stop oil purchases from Russia and that his administration would force China to do the same.

India has not confirmed any such commitment, although Reuters has reported that some Indian refiners are preparing to cut oil imports from Russia in anticipation of a gradual decline, three sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Wednesday that US “continued aggression will impose costs on Russia” unless the war ends.