Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) wrapped with national flags pose as they return after a swap, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in an undisclosed location in Ukraine on Wednesday — Reuters 
NEW YORK, Mar 20 (Reuters): US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky agreed on Wednesday to work together to end Russia's war with Ukraine, in what the White House described as a "fantastic" one-hour phone call.
In their first conversation since an Oval Office shouting match on February 28, Zelensky thanked Trump for US support and the two leaders agreed that technical teams would meet in Saudi Arabia in the coming days.
Zelensky asked Trump for more air defence support to protect his country against Russian attacks and the US president said he would help locate the necessary military equipment in Europe, the White House said.
Trump briefed Zelensky on his phone call on Tuesday with Vladimir Putin, in which the Russian president rejected a proposed full 30-day ceasefire sought by Trump that Ukraine said it would be prepared to accept, but agreed to pause attacks on energy infrastructure.
That narrowly defined pause appeared in doubt on Wednesday, however, with Moscow saying Ukraine hit an oil depot in southern Russia while Kyiv said Russia had struck hospitals and homes, and knocked out power to some railways.
Still, the two sides carried out a prisoner exchange, each releasing 175 troops in a deal facilitated by the United Arab Emirates. Moscow said it freed an additional 22 wounded Ukrainians as a goodwill gesture.
Zelensky, describing his conversation with Trump as "positive, very substantive and frank," said he had confirmed Kyiv's readiness to halt strikes on Russian infrastructure and to accept an unconditional frontline ceasefire as the US proposed earlier.
"One of the first steps toward fully ending the war could be ending strikes on energy and other civilian infrastructure. I supported this step, and Ukraine confirmed that we are ready to implement it," he said on social media.
Later, the Ukrainian president told reporters in a video call that Trump understands Kyiv will not recognise occupied land as Russian.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump has told Volodymyr Zelensky that the United States could own and run Ukraine's nuclear power plants as part of his latest bid to secure a ceasefire in Russia's invasion of its neighbor.
The offer comes as some 30 military chiefs from countries keen to help protect an eventual ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine prepared for talks in Britain on Thursday to discuss planning for a peacekeeping force.
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