Trump had a sharp exchange with European leaders. He complained about corruption in Ukraine

The leaders of Britain, France and Germany telephoned US President Donald Trump on Wednesday evening to discuss Washington's latest peace efforts to end the war in Ukraine.

Trump told reporters he had a sharp exchange with the leaders, but declined to give details. For the second time this week, he complained that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hasn't held elections in years, adding that Ukraine faces "massive corruption."

The head of Ukraine said in a video address this evening that he had discussed the possibility of wartime presidential elections with representatives of Ukraine's parliament and now expects MPs to "put forward their point of view".

In the phone call, the European leaders urged Trump to send U.S. representatives to a weekend meeting in Europe with Zelensky to discuss the way forward.

"We said we want to know some things before we go to the meeting," Trump said, stressing that they "don't want to waste time."

Kiev is under pressure from the White House to secure a quick peace, but rejects the U.S.-backed plan, which critics say favors Moscow. Especially because of the condition of giving up some territory to Russia. Both the Europeans and Zelensky are demanding that peace be made on the current front line.

Separate statements from the so-called E3 powers said the leaders appreciated the Trump administration's mediation efforts to achieve a firm and lasting peace in Ukraine.

"(The leaders) agreed that this is a critical moment for Ukraine, its people and the shared security of the Euro-Atlantic region," the British statement said.

(reuters, est)