Trump, Putin speak before Zelenskiy’s White House visit

By Trevor Hunnicutt

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump said he had a long conversation with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Thursday, a day before Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy plans to visit the White House to seek more support in the war with Russia.

Zelenskiy will meet Trump for more military support as NATO struggles to respond to a series of Russian airstrikes, while Kiev and Moscow escalate their war with major attacks on energy systems.

Trump confirmed he spoke with Putin in a social media post during the debate. “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.

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

The White House did not respond to a request for comment.

Trump, a Republican who has vowed to end the war, has expressed growing frustration with Putin over the ongoing attacks.

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

As the war enters its fourth year, Russia has been pounding Ukraine’s energy and electrical facilities for consecutive winters; initially focusing on electricity, but increasingly targeting gas infrastructure this year.

(Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt and Bhargav Acharya; Editing by Doina Chiacu and Rod Nickel)