KYIV — Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that despite his rocky relationship with Donald Trump, he thinks the White House is still more irritated by Vladimir Putin than him.
And he [Putin] may sometimes say very nice things, but those things are lies.
I think the issue with Putin is that if you think you are in a dialogue, you are really alone,” added Zelenskyy.
While he has continued to scold Zelenskyy, Trump warned Putin on Tuesday that he is “playing with fire” as the Kremlin continues to bombard Ukraine with a record number of drones.
Zelenskyy reiterated his willingness to engage in dialogue with the Russians “in any format,” including direct talks with Putin or with Trump’s mediation.
KYIV — Despite his tense relationship with Donald Trump, Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that he believes Vladimir Putin continues to annoy the White House more than he does.
“I tell the truth, even if it’s unpleasant to hear. I also express my opinions. Additionally, Putin occasionally says kind things, but those are lies. “And I believe that those who lie are more worrisome to intelligent people,” the Ukrainian president said Tuesday to a group of reporters in Kyiv.
You can be extremely uncomfortable in a partnership, but you must be partners. “I believe the problem with Putin is that you are truly alone if you believe you are having a conversation,” Zelenskyy continued.
According to Zelenskyy, he believes that President Trump and his administration, who are seeking an immediate end to the conflict, have realized that Putin does not wish to halt his full-scale invasion of Ukraine in the manner that the White House desires.
Trump warned Putin on Tuesday that he is “playing with fire” as the Kremlin continues to bombard Ukraine with a record number of drones, even as he has continued to chastise Zelenskyy.
Vladimir Putin is unaware of the fact that Russia would have already experienced a number of extremely negative events if it weren’t for me. In a post on Truth Social, Trump exclaimed, “He’s playing.
Despite his notorious altercation with Trump in the Oval Office in late February, Zelenskyy still wants the U.S. S. to put additional sanctions on Russia because only by applying more pressure will Moscow consider a peace deal, he told the journalists gathered.
After Russia rejected Ukraine’s offer of a 30-day ceasefire, the EU approved the 17th round of sanctions, but the U. S. . has since stopped enforcing new sanctions. But after his encounter with Trump at the Vatican in late April, the Ukrainian president grew increasingly certain that if Putin rejects a ceasefire, the White House would sanction Russia.
Zelenskyy reaffirmed that he is open to having discussions with the Russians “in any format,” whether that means working directly with Putin or through Trump. However, since the Americans will be making the commitments, he would rather see them at ceasefire negotiations and Europeans at postwar security guarantee discussions.
Additionally, Zelenskyy stated that he is prepared to speak “almost anywhere in the civilized world.”. Given Belarus’ backing for Moscow’s invasion, Zelenskyy referred to Russia’s suggestion that Belarus could serve as a venue as “unserious.”. The most likely places for talks, in his opinion, are the Vatican, Switzerland, and Turkey.
According to Zelensky, who expressed optimism that the war would end by June 2026, the sanctions will start to affect the Russian economy by the summer of 2026 and military production will begin to decline.
The Russian political will, however, is necessary to end the war. Moscow has sharply increased drone and rocket attacks in recent weeks after rejecting Ukraine’s offer to halt all hostilities for 30 days in early May. And Russia will just continue its war effort if the international community stops applying pressure, Zelensky stated.
Zelenskyy cautioned that Russian forces are currently gearing up for a significant new offensive and have amassed over 50,000 soldiers near the Sumy border with Ukraine in the northeast.
According to U.S. special envoy to Ukraine Keith Kellogg, Kyiv has given the U.S. S. . containing a list of requirements for a peace agreement with Russia.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated Wednesday that Moscow is drafting its own peace memorandum and will soon announce the next round of talks with Ukraine.
We have made updates to this story.
