Zelenskiy speaks with Witkov and Kushner amid conflict between U.S. and Ukraine

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Kang Hoon-sang = Axios reported that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke by phone with White House special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner on the 18th (local time).

This phone call is the first between President Zelensky and a high-ranking U.S. official since President Trump agreed to a transit deal with Russia on the 9th and relations between the two countries deteriorated.

Axios reported that the call, which lasted about 40 minutes, discussed the conflict between the United States and Ukraine and U.S. efforts to resume peace talks with Russia. Since it was not reported that the schedule for the face-to-face meeting was confirmed or that the differences between the two countries were resolved, it is interpreted that they were seeking a point of contact for follow-up discussions amidst the conflict, rather than saying that relations had been normalized.

In addition to the transit agreement, the two countries recently had a conflict between the United States and Ukraine over SpaceX's satellite system. President Zelensky claimed that the U.S. government was involved, saying that the data transmission speed of 'Starshield', which the Ukrainian military uses for drone operations, was slowed down. The US government sent a message to limit speed, and SpaceX technically implemented it.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio refuted this claim the day before, saying that the U.S. government was not involved and that service had been restored.

In addition, President Trump postponed the application of sanctions under the so-called 'Lindsey Graham Act', adding to the controversy surrounding easing pressure on Russia.

Those subject to suspension included a 500% tariff on Russian imports and a 100% tariff on major purchasing countries of Russian crude oil and natural gas. President Trump did not abolish the law itself, but used the president's exemption authority to delay the application of related measures.

President Trump said on Truth Social on the 18th, "We are negotiating peace negotiations to end the war between Russia and Ukraine," and "I don't want to do anything foolish that will force Russia to leave the negotiating table."