Zelenskyy says clash with Trump was 'not something personal'

Zelenskyy on Trump

The Ukrainian president said tensions with the United States were not tied to his personal relationship with Trump. The issue is lifting sanctions on Russia, which would strengthen Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"My attitude to Putin is very clear. I think that if we lift sanctions, we will make him stronger. It's not something personal between me and President Trump, and of course I'm against any lifting of sanctions," he said.

What Ukraine needs

The president noted that European partners have provided Ukraine with a certain number of air defense missiles. However, this is not enough to protect the country.

According to Zelenskyy, Ukraine currently needs two things most from its allies:

• Sanctions against Putin to remain in place

• Provision of Ukraine with better missiles.

Peace efforts

The president described the meeting in Oslo as productive but said Putin is unlikely to want peace. He is playing with other people's lives and does not want to end the war.

"So what we want from our partners is not to give him a possibility to be stronger and break us," he said.

Zelenskyy hinted at freezing the current front lines, but not at the cost of Ukrainian territory.

"A lot of people died defending this land, defending our independence, our country. Nobody will recognize these territories, which are temporarily occupied, as Russian territories, and I think Russia understands it. It's a pity if somebody doesn't understand, but it's up to them," Zelenskyy said.

Earlier, RBC-Ukraine reported that the head of the Ukrainian state had received important intelligence about Russia's intentions. Moscow has reportedly already identified its priorities for further attacks on Ukrainians in the coming weeks.

In addition, Zelenskyy said that freezing hostilities along the front line is a viable path toward ending Russia's war against Ukraine.