WASHINGTON: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Wednesday (Sep 3) that he expects to speak with US President Donald Trump on Thursday, where he hopes to press for new sanctions on Russia and discuss security guarantees for his war-battered country.

"Tomorrow we will try to connect with President Trump, and we'll speak about it," Zelenskyy told reporters during a visit to Copenhagen, where he discussed Nordic-Baltic support for Ukraine. He added that Kyiv had "signals from the United States that it will provide a backstop, and this is important".

TRUMP PLANS UKRAINE TALKS

Trump confirmed he plans to hold Ukraine-related talks in the coming days after his August summit in Alaska with Russian President Vladimir Putin failed to deliver a breakthrough.

The White House said Trump will speak directly with Zelenskyy on Thursday. The French presidency added that Zelenskyy, French President Emmanuel Macron and other European leaders are also due to hold a joint call with Trump that afternoon, following a mostly virtual meeting hosted by France of about 30 countries to coordinate post-war security guarantees for Ukraine.

SECURITY GUARANTEES ON THE TABLE

Zelenskyy said a "solid basis" already exists for guarantees in case of a ceasefire, citing bilateral agreements such as one signed with Denmark. He reiterated that Ukraine’s future security must be based on NATO’s Article 5 mutual defence principle, even if formal membership is off the table.

Kyiv is pressing for NATO-style guarantees and a European peacekeeping force to deter Russia ...