President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine spoke with the leaders of the United States, France and Turkey on Sunday, stepping up diplomatic activity in the 10th month of the war and shoring up military and humanitarian support.
Mr. Zelensky’s push comes as the latest round of Russian airstrikes have targeted and damaged critical Ukrainian infrastructure, leaving millions without reliable heat and power as winter sets in, and ahead of two meetings this week — one of the Group of 7 nations and another of NATO foreign ministers.
While the weekend calls with Mr. Zelensky touched on issues central to the war, including grains, the global economy and defending against Russia, there were no signs that Russia and Ukraine were closer to meeting to discuss an end to the war that began in February when Russia invaded.
Mr. Zelensky “coordinated positions” with President Biden about the upcoming G7 summit in their phone call on Sunday, the Ukrainian president said on social media, adding that Ukraine would participate in the meeting. The White House said in a statement that Mr. Biden emphasized that the U.S. would prioritize strengthening Ukraine’s air defense system.
President Biden had said earlier this month that he was open to speaking with the Russian leader, Vladimir V. Putin, about ending the conflict but had “no immediate plans” to do so. Despite some hope that a recent prisoner exchange between the United States and Russia might lead to more substantial talks on Ukraine, Mr. Putin has not expressed a willingness to advance talks.
In the call with the French leader, Mr. Zelensky said that he and President Emmanuel Macron discussed how to “synchronize positions” ahead of the G7 talks on Monday. In his nightly address, he described the hour-long phone call as “very meaningful.” He added that Mr. Macron supported his peace plan.
Mr. Macron said on Twitter that he discussed with Mr. Zelensky two upcoming conferences taking place in France, including one that will link French companies seeking contracts in Ukraine with officials from that country. The other event will focus on raising money to help Ukraine get through the winter.
Mr. Zelensky also spoke with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey about building on the grain deal that Mr. Erdogan brokered between Ukraine and Russia. Earlier in the war, Mr. Erdogan pushed for talks between the two nations that ended without a peace deal, but got Ukraine and Russia’s top diplomats to sit down.
Mr. Erdogan also spoke to Mr. Putin earlier on Sunday by phone, during which he expressed to Mr. Putin his “sincere wish” for the war to end as soon as possible, according to Mr. Erdogan’s office.
