Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that after recent events, US President Donald Trump trusts him more than Russian leader Vladimir Putin, Ukrinform reported, citing his statement at a briefing in New York after the meeting with his American counterpart, BTA reports.
Zelensky noted that Trump had previously maintained certain relations and dialogue with Putin and believed the information that the Russian leader provided him about Ukraine, including allegations that Russia would soon occupy the entire Donbas or even parts of Ukraine that are still under Kiev's control. According to Zelensky, during their phone calls or meetings, Trump sometimes repeated these claims and insisted that action should be taken.
Over time, however, Trump realized that the information he was receiving from Putin was far from the real situation on the battlefield and the truth. Zelensky stressed that Trump now trusts him more.
As an example, he cited the Ukrainian counteroffensive near Dobropilia in September, in which Ukrainian defenders managed to liberate about 360 square kilometers of territory. Zelensky noted that the problem was not only in the number of square kilometers regained, but also in the way Russia presents victories as losses.
According to him, this has had an impact on Ukraine's partners.
The Ukrainian president expressed confidence that US leader Donald Trump can change the course of the war waged by Russia against Ukraine. He added that Washington is ready to provide security guarantees after the conflict ends.
“Trump is a game changer in himself“, Zelensky said. He stressed that there are few international players with such influence in the world, and the US president is one of them.
Zelensky also mentioned the potential role of Chinese leader Xi Jinping, but said he saw no desire on China's part to end the war. “They are not interested. I really don't know why”, he noted.
Therefore, the Ukrainian president sees Trump as a key player who can end the conflict.
He added that the US administration is trying to ensure that pressure on Russia and the countries that support it is carried out in parallel with European actions. However, Zelensky noted that due to the complexity of decision-making processes in the EU, progress is sometimes slow. Therefore, Ukraine calls on the US to act independently, without waiting for a position from Brussels.
“The US can definitely take strong measures on its own, and we would very much like to see this“, said Zelensky, adding that he discussed this issue during his meeting with Trump.
He assessed the conversation with the US president as “a good discussion“ and stressed that Trump reacted positively to everything that the Ukrainian side presented, including Kiev's approaches to establishing peace.