Nearly six years have passed since Volodymyr Zelensky was elected president of Ukraine, yet he still cringes at all the polished brass and chandeliers that crowd his office. The place does seem rather gaudy,

President Trump spoke on Wednesday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in an effort to reach an agreement on a partial 30-day ceasefire with Russia, the White House said.Why it matters: The call took place one day after Trump spoke for more than two hours with Russian President Vladimir Putin and tried to convince him to agree to a full and immediate ceasefire with Ukraine that would last 30 days.

Ukrainian political veterans long out of power have emerged as a new source of pressure on Ukraine's political leadership. Following the clash in the Oval Office between President Volodymyr Zelensky and his U.

Russian and U.S. officials met this week in Saudi Arabia to try to work out some sort of ceasefire in the war in Ukraine. But even as Russia talks about peace, its attacks on Ukrainian cities continues.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Ukraine would not accept any mineral rights deal that threatened its integration with the EU but said it was too early to pass judgment on a dramatically expanded minerals deal proposed by Washington.