Talk show for Trump: Zelenskyy's team slams Putin's latest press conference
Photo: Mykhailo Podolyak, Advisor to the Head of the Presidential Office (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
Russian leader Vladimir Putin held a late-night press conference on June 19. It turned out to be a show for US President Donald Trump, said advisor to the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Mykhailo Podolyak.
"Yesterday, Putin staged a talk show specifically for President Trump, holding a press conference timed perfectly for viewing across the ocean. He obsessively and brazenly repeated his demands for Ukraine's de facto capitulation," emphasized Podolyak.
He emphasized that Putin would only consider meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US President Trump if the West agreed to Ukraine's surrender.
Podolyak added that the window of opportunity for negotiations with Russia, which the United States considered open, was demonstratively closed by the Kremlin.
According to Podolyak, Putin irrationally continues to believe in the possibility of a total victory over Ukraine. His confidence is bolstered by the intensification of missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian civilians.
"Without a significant upgrade to Ukraine's air defense with modern Western systems, and without expanding its missile capabilities, it will be very difficult to return the Russians to the negotiating track," Podolyak concluded.
Putin's statements
Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed during his press conference that he is open to meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, but has no intention of signing any documents with him.
The Kremlin leader also insisted that he does not plan to attack Europe, dismissing all related reports as falsehoods.
