Zelensky, Trump hold 2nd phone call in two days

Kyiv, Oct 13 (IANS) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that he had a second phone conversation in two days with US President Donald Trump.

Zelensky described the discussion as "very productive," noting that it focused on strengthening Ukraine's defence capabilities, including long-range capabilities, Xinhua news agenc reported.

He added that the two leaders also discussed "many details on energy."

According to Zelensky, both sides agreed to continue the dialogue. The previous phone call between Zelensky and Trump was held on Saturday.

Earlier on Saturday, Zelensky said that he discussed the possibility of bolstering his country's air defence in a phone call with Trump.

"I informed President Trump about Russia's attacks on our energy system, and I appreciate his willingness to support us," Zelensky said on X.

According to him, the two leaders talked about opportunities to bolster Ukraine's air defence, as well as concrete agreements to achieve that goal, Xinhua news agency reported.

Zelensky said that there are "good options and solid ideas" on how to strengthen Ukraine.

"If a war can be stopped in one region, then surely other wars can be stopped as well -- including the Russian war," Zelensky wrote on social media.

He added, "I informed President Trump about Russia's attacks on our energy system—and I appreciate his willingness to support us. We discussed opportunities to bolster our air defense, as well as concrete agreements that we are working on to ensure this."

Earlier this week, Ukraine imposed emergency power outages in Kyiv and nine regions across the country after Russian missile and drone strikes largely targeted the country's energy facilities.

On September 27, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told the UN General Assembly that Moscow remains open to negotiations to end the war in Ukraine.

--IANS

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