Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Vladimir Putin's claims of seeking peace are aimed at Donald Trump

In response to a question about whether there are any signs that Vladimir Putin wants peace, given Russia’s intensified attacks on Kyiv toward the end of the year, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the answer is no.

"No, to be honest. I don’t hear this publicly. He is not talking about peace. On the contrary, he says he can go further. These are not signals of peace," Zelenskyy said.

According to the Ukrainian president, this is precisely why both dialogue and pressure from Donald Trump are needed, including sanctions and diplomatic efforts.

"He has the tools, and I believe he is trying to achieve peace," Zelenskyy added, referring to Trump.

At the same time, Zelenskyy stressed that despite Trump’s positive remarks about his conversation with Putin, the Russian leader cannot be trusted.

"Putin does not want Ukraine to succeed. He may say such things to President Trump, I believe he says them, but it is not true. He does not want stronger sanctions. He can talk about 'cheap electricity,' but we do not need that. We have paid too high a price, with lives. We need nothing from them. This is only a message for Trump, a way of communicating," Zelenskyy said.

Peace talks on Ukraine

On Sunday, December 28, President Trump hosted President Zelenskyy at his residence in Mar-a-Lago, Florida. The leaders later also spoke with European partners.

Following the meeting, Trump said the sides were nearing the end of the war. Zelenskyy, for his part, stated that a 20-point peace plan is 90% agreed, while security guarantees for Ukraine are fully in place.

The sides agreed that negotiating teams would meet as early as next week, with final decisions potentially to be made in January.

Before that, Trump held a phone call with Putin, which he described as "productive," and said he intended to speak with him again after meeting Zelenskyy.