Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he plans to speak with President Donald Trump following the latter's discussion with Russian leader Vladimir Putin about a potential ceasefire.

“Today I will have contact with President Trump,” Zelensky said during a press conference Helsinki alongside Finnish President Alexander Stubb via the New York Post. “We will discuss the details of the next steps with him.”

Zelensky said that Putin's reported agreement to stop striking energy infrastructure was "very much at odds with reality" after the Kremlin launched a series of drone attacks across Ukraine. The Ukrainian president added that one of the most difficult topics to discuss during possible negotiations would be territorial concessions.

“For us, the red line is the recognition of the Ukrainian temporarily occupied territories as Russian. We will not go for it,” Zelensky said.

Trump and Putin reportedly "spoke about the need for peace and a ceasefire in the Ukraine war" during a phone call on Tuesday (March 18), according to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.

"Both leaders agreed this conflict needs to end with a lasting peace," Leavitt said via the U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Russia. "They also stressed the need for improved bilateral relations between the United States and Russia. The blood and treasure that both Ukraine and Russia have been spending in this war would be better spent on the needs of their people.

"This conflict should never have started and should have been ended long ago with sincere and good faith peace efforts. The leaders agreed that the movement to peace will begin with an energy and infrastructure ceasefire, as well as technical negotiations on implementation of a maritime ceasefire in the Black Sea, full ceasefire and permanent peace. These negotiations will begin immediately in the Middle East."

Trump previously claimed that Zelensky was "gambling with World War III" during a back and forth exchange as the rare earth minerals deal the two world leaders were supposed to sign fell through when the Ukrainian president was asked to leave the White House. Trump later claimed Zelensky could come back "when he is ready for Peace" in a post shared on his Truth Social account.

“This is the worst statement that could have been made by Zelenskyy, and America will not put up with it for much longer!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social account on March 3.

Vicki McKenna