Ukraine's Zelenskyy Holds Talks With Putin for the First Time

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a telephone conversation for the first time since the election of the Ukrainian president.

This was announced by the press secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov, the federal agency TASS reports.

"The Ukrainian side initiated the conversation," the message reads.

They discussed the situation in the Donbas and the release of prisoners, including the 24 sailors captured near the Kerch Strait.

READ MORE: President Zelenskyy Calls on Putin to Free 24 Ukrainian Sailors

"The possibility of continuing contacts in the Normandy format was also discussed," added Peskov.

Zelenskyy has not yet commented on the conversation with Putin.

It was previously reported that Putin was ready to discuss expansion of the Normandy format after the parliamentary elections in Ukraine, which will take place on July 21.

Earlier, the TV channel belonging to the business partner of Viktor Medvedchuk, NewsOne and the Russian propaganda channel Russia24 planned to hold a teleconference called "We Need to Talk."

Zelenskyy called the announced teleconference "cheap PR" and offered Putin to negotiate a situation on the Donbas in Minsk in presence of leaders from the United States, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom. The Kremlin said they would consider Zelenskyy's proposal for a meeting with Putin in Minsk.