Zelenskyy: Trump should press Russia for ceasefire, not Kyiv

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on US President Donald Trump to increase pressure on Russia and not to push Ukraine to accept a ceasefire. He said this in an interview with Politico and the German daily Die Welt.

‘We need negotiations. We support them,’ he said, adding that Kyiv does not trust Russia and expects Washington to put more pressure on Moscow. Zelenskyy also said Ukrainian society is tired after more than four years of war, though morale remains high.

Ukraine is not prepared to accept Russian ultimatums demanding the handover of large territories in the east of the country, he said. Zelenskyy also urged European leaders to come up with a plan B that would bypass Viktor Orbán’s blocking of a European Union loan. He described the Hungarian prime minister as a ‘strategic partner’ of Russia.

The president said that specific details about possible security guarantees from the United States, discussed with representatives of the US administration, are still unknown. According to him, such guarantees would have to be approved by national parliaments and the US Congress to remain binding even after Trump is no longer president.

In the interview, Zelenskyy confirmed that Ukraine is sending teams of drone warfare specialists to the Persian Gulf region to help US allies defend themselves against Iranian Shahed drones.

Ukraine is also negotiating with the United States over possible deliveries of PAC-3 missiles for Patriot air defence systems.

Zelenskyy warned, however, that the missiles are in short supply because the US military is also deploying them in the Persian Gulf.

(max)