Zelenskyy holds talks with U.S. team on Ukraine's reconstruction and economic recovery

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Wednesday that he held a "productive discussion" on Ukraine's reconstruction and economic recovery with senior U.S. officials.

The video conversation, which involved U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, U.S. President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and BlackRock CEO Larry Fink, as well as top Ukrainian officials, marked the first meeting of the group that will work on a document concerning Ukraine's reconstruction and economic recovery, Zelenskyy said on X.

According to him, the participants of the meeting discussed key elements for recovery efforts, various mechanisms and visions for reconstruction.

In his address, Zelenskyy said that "to ensure reconstruction is of high quality and economic growth is tangible after this war, real security must form the foundation." He added that "this could be considered the first meeting of the group that will work on a document concerning reconstruction and economic recovery of Ukraine."

Meanwhile, the U.S. president offered another indication that he may reconsider Washington's current posture toward the conflict, which he has blamed on his predecessor, Joe Biden, and has previously claimed he could resolve "within 24 hours" after returning to office.

"Sometimes you have to let people fight it out and sometimes you don't," Trump said on Wednesday, adding that "but the problem with letting people fight it out is yet you're losing thousands of people a week. It's ridiculous. The whole thing is ridiculous."

(With input from agencies)