Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has appealed to former U.S. President Donald Trump to help mediate a peace agreement to end the war with Russia, drawing parallels to Trump’s recent success in brokering a truce in the Middle East.
In a Facebook post following a phone call on Saturday, Zelensky wrote, “If a war can be stopped in one region, then surely other wars can be stopped as well — including the Russian war.”
The call marks a striking shift in the relationship between the two leaders, who publicly clashed during a tense televised meeting at the White House in February. Since then, Trump has softened his tone, calling Zelensky a “nice guy” and expressing continued support for Ukraine’s fight against the Russian invasion, which began in 2022.
The two last met in person on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York in September. Zelensky’s appeal comes at a critical moment, as Kyiv faces mounting pressure to find a diplomatic solution to the protracted conflict.