US presidential candidate Donald Trump had what he called a “very good” telephone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, and again vowed to bring about a deal to end the war with Russia - though without saying how he would do it.

The two men spoke earlier on Friday, Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform. He added that he appreciated Zelenskiy “for reaching out”, and promised Russia and Ukraine would “come together and negotiate a deal that ends the violence and paves a path forward to prosperity”.

Zelenskiy confirmed the meeting in a post to X, saying that he had congratulated Trump for winning the Republican presidential nomination at his party’s convention in Milwaukee this week. He also condemned what he called the “shocking assassination attempt” against Trump last weekend.

“Ukraine will always be grateful to the US for its help in strengthening our ability to resist Russian terror,” Zelenskiy said. Without saying so explicitly, he appeared to indicate that he and Trump had made at least tentative plans to meet. 

“We agreed with President Trump to discuss in a personal meeting what steps can make peace fair and truly lasting,” Zelenskiy said.

The call appeared to be part of a delicate bit of diplomacy for Zelenskiy, whose forces have relied on billions of dollars of American military assistance to fight the Russian forces who invaded in 2022. He wants to keep Trump on his side if the former US president defeats President Joe Biden in the November election. 

Trump has suggested the US has spent too much money on the war in Ukraine, while his choice for vice president, JD Vance, has been even more sceptical, once telling Steve Bannon’s podcast he doesn’t “really care what happens to Ukraine one way or the other”.

Trump and Zelenskiy have a fraught history. Trump’s first impeachment stemmed from a 2019 phone call in which the then US president urged the newly elected Zelenskiy to dig up dirt on Biden, his opponent in the 2020 election, and his son Hunter. Trump also briefly withheld nearly US$400 million in aid to Ukraine.

In his debate with Biden last month, Trump said he would end the Russia-Ukraine war between his election and inauguration day. Zelenskiy challenged that in a subsequent interview with Bloomberg Television, saying Trump should come forward with a plan, and warning that any proposal must avoid violating the nation’s sovereignty. 

  - Bloomberg