by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Europe Bureau Chief

KYIV/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has urged U.S. President Donald J. Trump to maintain pressure on Russia to reach a ceasefire deal, similar to the one Trump helped broker between Israel and Hamas.

Zelenskyy made the comments amid intensified clashes between Russian and Ukrainian troops and mounting concerns that Russia plans to connect Europe’s largest nuclear power plant to its own power grid.

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy said he spoke with President Trump shortly before Trump arrived in Israel to oversee the return of hostages and other aspects of the peace arrangement between Israel and Hamas.

Zelenskyy expressed hope that the same diplomatic leverage could be used to help end Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine.

“I just had a phone call with President Trump. I congratulated him. This is a real success,” Zelenskyy said. “It’s important that people come back home. A ceasefire there is a big, huge step to peace. That’s why I think it’s a real success. It gives signals for us and hope that with such pressure — what President Trump used in the Middle East to make peace — I hope he will use the same instruments or even more to pressure Putin to stop his war in Ukraine.”

Zelenskyy added that Trump acknowledged Ukraine faces a much more complex war, saying, “Putin really doesn’t want peace and doesn’t feel pressure on him.”

NUCLEAR CONCERNS

Zelenskyy’s remarks came as Ukraine accused Russia of attempting to connect the occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant — the largest in Europe — to Russia’s national power grid.

Moscow captured the plant soon after its full-scale invasion in February 2022, but has denied any plans to restart operations under Russian control.

The plant is located in southern Ukraine, where local officials reported fresh Russian shelling that killed and injured several civilians over the weekend.

At the same time, U.S. and Ukrainian officials confirmed that Kyiv has received U.S. intelligence support to carry out long-range strikes on Russian energy infrastructure.

The coordinated effort aims to weaken Russia’s economy and pressure President Vladimir Putin into negotiations.

INTENSIFIED ATTACKS

However, both Russia and Ukraine have intensified attacks on each other’s energy networks ahead of winter, deepening the humanitarian and economic toll of the war.

President Zelenskyy said Sunday that Ukrainian forces made advances in the Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk regions — key battlegrounds in the war.

But Russian President Putin countered last week that Moscow’s forces have captured around 5,000 square kilometers (1,930 square miles) of territory this year and continue to hold “the strategic advantage.”

While independent verification of battlefield claims remains difficult, analysts agree that the road to peace between the two nations remains rocky — despite renewed international efforts to end the devastating conflict.

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