Trump said he had 'good and very productive' call with Putin ahead of Ukrainian President Zelenskyy meeting
LONDON -- President Donald Trump said that he just had a "good and very productive telephone call" with Russian President Vladimir Putin, shortly before Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy prepared to meet in Florida Sunday.
"I just had a good and very productive telephone call with President Putin of Russia prior to my meeting, at 1:00 P.M. today, with President Zelenskyy of Ukraine," Trump wrote on social media, in part.
The Kremlin later confirmed that the call had taken place, according to Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov.
The peace talks are scheduled to take place in the wake of Russia's launch of dozens of drones into Ukraine overnight, the air force in Kyiv said.
Ukraine's air force reported 48 Russian drones fired into the country from Saturday night into Sunday morning, of which 30 were shot down or suppressed. Eighteen drones impacted across nine locations, the air force said.
The latest barrage caps an intense week of long-range Russian attacks, in which at least 1,810 drones and missiles have been fired, according to Ukrainian air force data analyzed by ABC News.
Saturday night's strikes came after Zelenskyy arrived in North America for further talks on a potential deal to end Russia's full-scale invasion, which began in February 2022.
Zelenskyy met with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on Saturday. On Sunday, Zelenskyy is due to meet Trump at the Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida.
Zelenskyy posted on X Sunday morning that "this week alone," Russia "launched over 2,100 attack drones, around 800 guided aerial bombs, and 94 missiles of various types" against Ukraine.
"These are some of the most active diplomatic days of the year right now, and a lot can be decided before the New Year," Zelenskyy further wrote, in part. "We are doing everything toward this, but whether decisions will be made depends on our partners – those who help Ukraine, and those who put pressure on Russia so that Russians feel the consequences of their own aggression."
Zelenskyy told journalists in a WhatsApp chat on Saturday that Ukraine can only move toward peace if there are strong, legal security guarantees from the U.S. and Europe. Ukraine has agreed to "many different compromises," Zelenskyy added, stressing that those only make sense if the country is fully protected from the day after a ceasefire.
Zelenskyy said the success of the ongoing talks depends on the continued support of Western allies. "If the whole world -- Europe and America -- is on our side, together we will stop Putin," he said. "If anyone -- whether the U.S. or Europe -- is on Russia's side, this means the war will continue."
Russian President Vladimir Putin, meanwhile, claimed Saturday the West is offering Ukraine favorable conditions on security, reconstruction and relations with Russia, but suggested that Kyiv does not want a peaceful settlement.
In remarks made during a visit to a military command post, Putin said Russia will achieve its objectives by military means if Ukraine's leadership does not agree to a peace deal.
Zelenskyy has likewise been skeptical of Putin's supposed readiness to end Russia's invasion. Zelenskyy described Moscow's massive combined missile and drone strike overnight on Friday as the Russian leader's "answer to peace."
On Saturday, Zelenskyy said Russia's continued attacks show "the real attitude of Putin and his entourage. They don't want to end the war and are trying to use every opportunity to inflict more pain on Ukraine and increase their pressure on others in the world."
Ukraine continued its own long-range strike campaign against Russia into Sunday morning. Russia's Defense Ministry said its forces downed at least 25 Ukrainian drones overnight.
Temporary flight restrictions were introduced at airports in Samara, Ulyanovsk, Penza, Yaroslavl and Kaluga, Russia's federal air transport agency -- Rosaviatsiya -- reported.
