CBOT wheat ticks down on dollar strength, Trump-Zelenskiy call

CHICAGO, March 19 (Reuters) - Chicago Board of Trade wheat futures settled down as investors monitored the outcome of a phone call between the leaders of Ukraine and the U.S. about Russia's war on Ukraine, and the dollar gained strength.

• CBOT May soft red winter wheat WK25 settled down 1-1/2 cents to $5.63-1/2 a bushel.

• K.C. May hard red winter wheat KWK25 ended down 11-1/2 cents at $5.94-3/4 a bushel, while Minneapolis May spring wheat MWEK25 fell 2-1/4 cents to finish at $6.11-3/4 a bushel.

• U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy concluded a phone call regarding Russia's war on Ukraine, which both sides described as positive.

• Ending hostilities in the war is seen as bearish for wheat because it would increase security for exports from Russia and Ukraine, according to analysts.

• Snow forecast for parts of the U.S. wheat belt would bring needed precipitation to the parched region, analysts said.

• The dollar rose on Wednesday, bouncing back from multi-month lows as traders eyed the Federal Reserve's meeting later in the day for clues to the path of U.S. interest rates. A stronger dollar tends to make U.S. exports less competitive on the global market.