WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump said he was having a lengthy conversation with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Thursday, a day before Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy planned to visit the White House to seek more support in the war with Russia.
Zelenskiy will meet Trump to push for more military support as Kyiv and Moscow escalate their war with massive attacks on energy systems while NATO struggles to respond to a spate of Russian air incursions.
Trump confirmed he was speaking with Putin in a social media post during the discussion. "The conversation is ongoing, a lengthy one, and I will report the contents, as will President Putin, at its conclusion," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
Ukraine is seeking U.S. Tomahawk long-range missiles, which would put Moscow and other major Russian cities within range of missile fire from Ukraine.
Trump has said he could supply the weapons to Ukraine if Putin fails to come to the negotiating table.
The White House did not respond to a request for comment.
Trump, a Republican who has vowed to end the war, has expressed increasing frustration with Putin over ongoing attacks.
In its latest barrage, Russia launched more than 300 drones and 37 missiles to target infrastructure across Ukraine in overnight attacks on Thursday, Zelenskiy said.
Russia has been hitting Ukraine's energy and power facilities for consecutive winters as the war drags into its fourth year, initially focusing on electricity but this year increasingly targeting gas infrastructure.
(Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt and Bhargav Acharya; Editing by Doina Chiacu and Rod Nickel)
