Trump says call with Zelenskyy ‘very good’ and ‘we are very much on track’ as Russia and Ukraine exchange PoWs – live

Trump praises ‘good name’ with Zelenskyy, says ‘we’re very a lot on monitor’

US president Donald Trump has simply put out a brief social media replace on his “superb” name with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, saying he sought to “align each Russia and Ukraine by way of their requests and wishes.”

“We’re very a lot on monitor,” he mentioned, unusually deferring to senior administration officers to disclose extra concerning the dialog. An additional assertion might be put out “shortly,” he mentioned.

Right here is his remark in full:

Simply accomplished an excellent phone name with President Zelenskyy of Ukraine. It lasted roughly one hour.

A lot of the dialogue was primarily based on the decision made yesterday with President Putin with a view to align each Russia and Ukraine by way of their requests and wishes.

We’re very a lot on monitor, and I’ll ask Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Nationwide Safety Advisor Michael Waltz, to provide an correct description of the factors mentioned.

That Assertion might be put out shortly.

Key occasions

Jakub Krupa

We’re nonetheless ready for a extra complete readout from Trump-Zelensky name from the White Home and any response from Ukraine.

We are going to deliver them to you as quickly as we’ve them.

EU accuses Google and Apple of breaking bloc’s digital guidelines

Rob Davies

Reporter

European Union flags flutter outdoors the EU Fee headquarters in Brussels. {Photograph}: Yves Herman/Reuters

The European Fee has accused the US tech corporations Google and Apple of breaking its digital guidelines, in a landmark motion that would escalate transatlantic stress with Donald Trump.

The US president has sought to exert strain on the EU to again away from more durable regulation of American know-how teams, warning that he could retaliate by imposing tariffs on foreign companies.

However on Wednesday, the fee pressed forward with enforcement motion in opposition to Apple and Google’s mum or dad firm Alphabet, two of the world’s 5 largest corporations by inventory market worth, accusing them of breaking the EU Digital Markets Act (DMA).

Breaches of the DMA may end up in corporations being fined 10% of income, or 20% in the event that they reoffend. Based mostly on Apple’s 2024 income of $391bn (£301bn), the utmost positive can be almost $80bn.

Trump praises ‘good name’ with Zelenskyy, says ‘we’re very a lot on monitor’

Right here is his remark in full:

Simply accomplished an excellent phone name with President Zelenskyy of Ukraine. It lasted roughly one hour.

A lot of the dialogue was primarily based on the decision made yesterday with President Putin with a view to align each Russia and Ukraine by way of their requests and wishes.

We’re very a lot on monitor, and I’ll ask Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Nationwide Safety Advisor Michael Waltz, to provide an correct description of the factors mentioned.

That Assertion might be put out shortly.

Trump-Zelenskyy name below approach

The Trump-Zelenskyy name is now below approach, either side confirmed.

Dan Scavino, White Home deputy chief of workers, mentioned in a social media post:

Taking place Now—President Trump is within the Oval Workplace on a name with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine.

Zelenskyy’s spokesperson Sergiy Nykyforov additionally advised reporters that the president was “having a dialog by phone with US President Donald Trump,” AFP reported.

No plans for Ukraine to participate in Riyadh US-Russia talks, Zelenskyy’s aide says

Shaun Walker

in Kyiv

I sat down in Kyiv with Mykhailo Podolyak, an aide to President Zelenskyy.

He mentioned that the talks deliberate for Sunday in Saudi Arabia are anticipated to be bilateral between the US and Russia, and mentioned there have been no plans for Ukraine to participate, although he conceded that we must watch for the outcomes of a Trump-Zelenskyy name later to know when additional talks involving Ukraine will happen.

Of the decision, he mentioned:

“The president needs to grasp the contents of this name totally from Trump. The principle factor is to grasp how Trump sees the outcomes of his name with Putin, and to attract conclusions from that.”

Reflecting on the final dialogue between Trump and Zelenskyy, the disastrous assembly within the White Home, he mentioned:

“It was a reasonably emotional dialog within the Oval Workplace, and it confirmed that contradictions had constructed up.

These contradictions have been then placed on the negotiating desk in Saudi Arabia, and really rapidly formal and casual communications have been made.

The administrations created negotiating groups and we rapidly moved to discussing concrete points round these contradictions and located a synchronised place.”

On the Kremlin assertion that Putin had mentioned the West ought to stop all western army help and intelligence sharing to Ukraine earlier than a ceasefire could possibly be agreed, he mentioned:

“It’s a really unusual demand, in fact. He’s saying, ‘We would like you to be disarmed after which we will carry on preventing the conflict’. That’s what it feels like…

He needs Ukraine to surrender its military, to surrender safety ensures, to surrender its proper to be in alliances, and to surrender on varied territories.

That is what he’s been preventing for 3 years, and he couldn’t do it militarily… And now that’s what he needs from the negotiations course of.”

Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak, pictured in 2022. {Photograph}: Christopher Cherry/The Guardian

US nationwide safety adviser confirms plans for additional talks with Russia in Riyadh

US nationwide safety adviser Mike Waltz has just said he agreed along with his Russian counterpart, Yuri Ushakov, that the 2 sides will maintain additional talks in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, geared toward “increasing the partial ceasefire president Trump secured from Russia.”

Here’s what he mentioned:

“I spoke as we speak with my Russian counterpart Yuri Ushakov about President Trump’s efforts to finish the conflict in Ukraine. We agreed our technical groups would meet in Riyadh within the coming days to concentrate on implementing and increasing the partial ceasefire President Trump secured from Russia.”

Russia and Ukraine trade 372 troopers in prisoner swap

Russia and Ukraine have exchanged 372 troopers in a prisoner swap brokered by the United Arab Emirates, the Russian defence ministry mentioned Wednesday, as reported by AFP in the previous couple of minutes.

The Kremlin introduced the swap on Tuesday, following talks between US president Donald Trump and Russian president Vladimir Putin.

Moscow returned 175 Ukrainian POWs, in addition to “22 significantly wounded prisoners of conflict in want of pressing medical help”, whereas Kyiv returned 175 Russian troops, the Russian defence ministry mentioned.

Trump and Putin ‘probably’ to satisfy in some unspecified time in the future, envoy Witkoff says, as he defends Putin as performing ‘in good religion’

US president Donald Trump is “probably” to satisfy with Russian president Vladimir Putin in some unspecified time in the future, US envoy Steve Witkoff advised Bloomberg TV.

Chatting with Bloomberg TV, he mentioned:

“You already know, I can’t communicate for them, however my greatest guess can be that it’s more likely to occur. They’ve an awesome rapport collectively. That they had an awesome rapport within the first Trump administration.

It was on show yesterday. This was actually a really optimistic, very proactive, consequence oriented name, and that’s who President Trump is. He’s there to get to the goalline. And we did a we went a great distance yesterday to doing that.”

Witkoff was additionally requested concerning the outcomes from yesterday’s name and if Russian assaults on Ukraine over the night time broke the preparations.

He mentioned that the leaders agreed on “cessation of assaults on power infrastructure … and civilian infrastructure,” with a plan to “work in the direction of a Black Sea moratorium on hits on naval vessels and freighters carrying grants and issues on that kind.”

However he dismissed claims – together with from Ukraine’s president Zelenskyy – that Russian strikes in a single day crossed the agreed line.

He mentioned that simply earlier than approaching air he confirmed it “on good data” that “Putin issued an order inside 10 minutes of his name with the president directing Russian forces to not be attacking any Ukrainian power infrastructure.”

“Any assaults that occurred final night time would have occurred earlier than that order was given,” he claimed.

He added that “actually, the Russians inform me this morning that seven of their drones have been on their approach when president Putin issued his order they usually have been shot down by Russian forces.”

“So I are inclined to imagine that President Putin is working in good religion. He mentioned that he was going to be working in good religion to the President yesterday, and I take him at his phrase,” he mentioned.

Zelensky anticipated to talk with Trump shortly

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy is predicted to talk with US president Donald Trump shortly, as per earlier feedback.

A White Home official confirmed earlier that the decision was anticipated at 10am ET, which is 2pm GMT and 3pm CET.

We are going to deliver you the 2 sides’ readouts from the decision as quickly as we get them.

Zelenskyy ends on a robust word speaking concerning the historic Ukrainian battle for independence and freedom, saying “crucial factor is who will win in the long run.”

He repeats that Ukraine is not going to recognise Russian-occupied territories as Russian, even when it can not reclaim them again instantly.

That concludes their occasion on the College of Helsinki.

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