NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and the leaders of Britain, Germany and Finland took part in a phone call between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump, a senior Ukrainian source told AFP on Wednesday.
Trump spoke with Zelensky after his special envoy Steve Witkoff travelled to Moscow for talks with President Vladimir Putin earlier in the day.
The source told AFP that German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Finnish President Alexander Stubb participated in the call alongside Rutte.
Putin held talks with Witkoff in Moscow on Wednesday, days before the White House’s deadline for Russia to reach a peace deal with Ukraine or potentially face severe economic penalties that could also hit countries buying its oil.
Trump has expressed increasing frustration with Putin over Russia’s escalating strikes on civilian areas of Ukraine, intended to erode morale and public appetite for the war. The intensified attacks have occurred even as Trump has urged the Russian leader in recent months to relent.
Overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday, Russian forces hit a recreational center in Ukraine’s southern Zaporizhzhia region, killing two people and injuring 12, including two children, regional Gov. Ivan Fedorov said Wednesday.