Trump calls Zelenskyy after summit as Russia-Ukraine strikes persist
US President Donald Trump held an extended call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during his flight back from the Alaska summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, as Russia and Ukraine exchanged fresh overnight strikes.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt reported on Saturday that Trump spent much of the six-hour return aboard Air Force One speaking first with Zelenskyy and then with NATO officials, fulfilling his pledge at the joint press conference with Putin.
Zelenskyy confirmed the call in a Facebook post, noting that it lasted more than 90 minutes and included Trump's proposal for a trilateral US–Ukraine–Russia meeting.
He added that he would meet Trump in Washington on August 18 to discuss 'all details regarding ending the war,' stressing that European participation at every stage is essential for credible security guarantees while affirming Kyiv's ongoing coordination with international partners.
The Alaska summit drew sharp criticism in Ukraine, with the Kyiv Independent calling it 'sickening, shameful, and useless' and accusing Trump of 'failing' to enforce his threat of 'severe consequences' for Moscow.
Prominent journalist Kristina Berdinskikh charged that Trump gave Putin 'a king's welcome' without securing a ceasefire. Lawmaker Yaroslav Zheleznyak dismissed the meeting as 'another grand American nothingness,' while former MP Mustafa Nayyem branded Trump's handshake with Putin 'a deal with the executioner.'
Despite the diplomatic efforts to secure a ceasefire, hostilities persisted. Russia's Defense Ministry reported intercepting 29 Ukrainian drones across Rostov, Stavropol, Kursk, and the Sea of Azov, while Ukraine's General Staff said Russian forces launched ballistic missiles and 85 Shahed drones toward Sumy, Donetsk, Chernihiv, and Dnipropetrovsk, with air defenses claiming to have downed or disabled 61 by morning.
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