(NewsNation) — Sirens rang out in Ukraine overnight, and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is urging the world to turn up the pressure on Russia — just hours after President Vladimir Putin agreed to a limited ceasefire during a call with President Donald Trump.
During Tuesday’s call, Putin agreed to an immediate pause in strikes against energy infrastructure but stopped short of backing a 30-day pause in fighting that the Trump administration is pressing for.
The White House described the limited ceasefire as the first step in a “movement to peace” that it hopes will include a maritime ceasefire in the Black Sea and eventually a full and lasting end to the fighting. But there was no indication that Putin has backed away from his conditions for a prospective peace deal, which are fiercely opposed by Kyiv.
Shortly after the call ended, Zelenskyy said Russian drones hit key infrastructure in Ukraine. Air raid alerts sounded in Kyiv, followed by explosions in the city, and local officials urged people to seek shelter.
In the wake of the phone call, Zelenskyy spoke with Trump on Wednesday to hear details about Putin and Trump’s conversation and discuss the next steps.
Trump said in a Truth Social post that the call was “very good” and lasted about one hour.
“Much of the discussion was based on the call made yesterday with President Putin in order to align both Russia and Ukraine in terms of their requests and needs,” Trump wrote. “We are very much on track.”
Trump’s call with Putin
During the call with Trump, Putin reiterated his demand for an end to foreign military and intelligence assistance to Ukraine, according to the Kremlin.
Trump, however, denied the subject came up during an interview with Fox News on Tuesday.
“We didn’t talk about aid,” Trump said. “We didn’t talk about aid at all.”
One of the broader objectives Trump has acknowledged is strengthening bilateral ties between the United States and Russia, but he also said he’s prepared to be tough on the Kremlin to get a peace deal.
Talks between the U.S. and Russia are expected to continue in Saudi Arabia over the weekend.
Russia isn’t easing military pressure on Ukraine
Meanwhile, Russia is not easing its military pressure on Ukraine.
Sources on the ground told NewsNation they heard anti-air defense systems firing and sirens ringing out across Kyiv throughout the night.
Zelenskyy confirmed a drone attack targeting Kyiv, and officials said power plants were targeted.
Russia said a fire sparked at one of its oil depots during a counterattack by Ukraine.
Russia has said it wants Ukraine to pull back its troops from four regions that Moscow has annexed but never fully captured, renounce any prospect of joining the NATO military alliance and sharply cut its army.
Zelenskyy told reporters Ukraine is open to any proposals that lead to sustainable and just peace but stressed the need for full transparency in discussions.
He said he’s seeking more details on Putin and Trump’s agreement but rejected Putin’s demand for halting military aid and intelligence sharing to Ukraine, warning that such a move would weaken Ukraine.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.