Zelensky Shrugs Off Trump-Putin Call, Skeptical of Ceasefire Prospects

Ukrainian President Zelensky responded with apparent indifference to a Trump-Putin phone call, signaling deep skepticism that US-Russia bilateral dialogue will yield meaningful ceasefire progress. Kyiv has long insisted that any peace negotiations must include Ukraine as a direct party, and the exclusion of Zelensky from the Trump-Putin conversation reinforces Ukrainian concerns that Washington may cut a deal with Moscow over Kyiv's head. The call is the latest in a series of direct US-Russia contacts that Ukraine has watched warily as the war grinds into its fifth year.