Zelenskyy responds to Trump saying he's 'not a good guy' to deal with
US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (collage: RBC-Ukraine)
Ukraine's priority remains ending the war with Russia through negotiations. The main obstacle is Russian President Vladimir Putin, who rejects dialogue, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's remarks at a briefing in Brussels.
The Ukrainian leader was asked to respond to a statement by US President Donald Trump, who called Zelenskyy "not a good guy to deal with." Trump also said he believes Putin is easier to deal with than Zelenskyy.
Zelenskyy's response to Trump
"I'm harder to deal with than Putin? And he's easier to deal with than Putin. For me, with Trump. I've had several meetings with the president of the United States, and we always find topics to discuss and decisions to make," Zelenskyy replied.
He stressed that Russia had attacked Ukraine, occupied Ukrainian territory, and killed Ukrainians. Therefore, Ukraine has every legal right to defend itself.
"Putin does not want negotiations in any format right now. He plays with words, claiming that they are supposedly ready for dialogue. But this looks more like a parody of a genuine desire to end the war. He does not want it to end," Zelenskyy stressed.
Risk of new sanctions relief for Russia
He added that capturing all of Donbas was no longer enough for the Kremlin leader. Putin's "appetite" is growing because he has found an opening to negotiate new agreements with the United States and lift sanctions.
"In my view, we cannot treat these agreements on diesel fuel as something separate. There will be agreements on gas next. I am absolutely certain of that. Other sanctions could be lifted following gas deals. Eventually, this could extend to the banking system, specific individuals, and the chemical industry. And there is another risk I have mentioned—frozen assets," Zelenskyy warned.
What Trump said
As reported, tensions between Ukraine and the United States escalated after Washington signed a diesel deal with Moscow.
Trump subsequently complained that Ukraine would not be able to reach a deal with Russia because Zelenskyy is president. He also accused the Ukrainian president of being unwilling to negotiate.
