Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his clashes with Donald Trump were not related to personal issues, while warning that any easing of sanctions against Russia would give Vladimir Putin more power and undermine efforts to end the war.
Speaking to CNN in an interview from Kyiv, Zelensky addressed the growing tensions between Kyiv and Washington. According to him, the Russian president is showing no willingness to end the conflict.
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“My position toward Putin is very clear. I think that if we lift the sanctions, we will make him stronger. It is not something personal between President Trump and me and, of course, I am against any easing of sanctions,” Zelensky said.
Relations between the United States and Ukraine have deteriorated significantly in recent weeks. Earlier, Zelensky had criticized Trump, saying he was “on the wrong side of history” after an announcement was made public about an agreement concerning the purchase of Russian fuel. Trump later eased some punitive measures against Russia, a decision that also drew opposition within his own party.
Kyiv’s concerns have been compounded by restrictions on the Starlink satellite service, operated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, as well as delays in arms deliveries.
The interview took place as the U.S. administration was stepping up diplomatic efforts to halt the war, which, according to reports, has entered its fifth year.
Steve Witkoff, the U.S. special envoy, spent 3 hours meeting with Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg. A day earlier, he had met with the Ukrainian president in Norway.
After his talks with Witkoff, Putin agreed to negotiations being held in November, but provided few details about them. Zelensky described the meeting in Oslo as productive, although he questioned the Russian leader’s readiness for peace.
“Putin is playing, you know, he is a player. It is unfortunate, because he is playing with other people’s lives and, of course, he does not want to stop the war,” the Ukrainian president said.
Zelensky urged partner countries not to allow Russia to further increase its power.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump said his administration was closer than ever to a deal to end the war. Nevertheless, Russia carried out another attack overnight, launching hundreds of drones and ballistic missiles toward Ukraine.
The Ukrainian president indicated that Kyiv might consider freezing the current front-line positions with the aim of reaching a ceasefire and opening negotiations.
“A ceasefire, stopping the killings, sitting down at the table and holding talks,” he said, listing the steps that could lead to peace.
However, Zelensky stressed that Ukraine could not accept surrendering its territories to Russia.
“Our country is very important, because this is about people. It is not about kilometers. Many people have died defending this land, our independence and our country,” he stressed.
He added that the temporarily occupied territories would not be recognized by anyone as part of the Russian Federation.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that one of the main disagreements in the talks concerned the fate of the part of Donbas that has not yet been occupied, the eastern Ukrainian region largely under the control of Russian forces.
Kyiv is also facing a shortage of interceptor missiles needed to repel Russian attacks. Zelensky confirmed that the sharing of intelligence with the United States had been restored after Ukraine expressed concerns about restrictions imposed by the U.S. side. However, the Starshield military satellite service, owned by SpaceX, has not yet been fully restored.
According to the Ukrainian head of state, European allies have sent several air-defense missiles, but their number is insufficient for Ukraine’s needs.
At the conclusion of the interview, Zelensky presented Kyiv’s two main demands to its international partners: that sanctions against Putin not be eased and that Ukraine be equipped with more advanced missiles for its defense.
“Do not lift the sanctions on Putin and give us better missiles,” the Ukrainian president said.
