Trump and Zelensky discussed peace negotiations with Russia: Axios on the details of the hour-long conversation.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, is only pretending to be ready for peace negotiations out of fear of Donald Trump, the President of the United States. This was reported by Axios.

During the phone call between Zelensky and Trump, the Ukrainian leader said: 'Putin mentioned his desire to reach an agreement only because of his fear of you, as you are strong.' According to a Ukrainian official and three sources, the conversation between the presidents was positive. Trump emphasized the need to communicate with Putin to ensure peace in Ukraine and said he 'needs to talk to Putin to save Ukraine.'

The conversation addressed security guarantees for Ukraine. Trump expressed support for the idea of European peacekeeping forces being present on the frontline with Russia, although earlier he and the U.S. Secretary of Defense had excluded the possibility of Ukraine joining NATO and sending American troops to guarantee security. The President of the United States also introduced his negotiation team, which includes the CIA director and the White House envoy.

Trump stressed the importance of the upcoming meeting between Zelensky and the U.S. Vice President and Secretary of State in Munich to kickstart the diplomatic process. The conversation also discussed Russian strikes on Kyiv and other cities. Trump inquired whether the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury was in Kyiv during the attacks and joked that if he had heard the airstrikes, he would 'already have returned to the U.S.' Furthermore, Trump gave Zelensky his personal phone number for direct communication, and the Ukrainian president promised to gift the American leader a championship belt from a Ukrainian boxer.