Volodymyr Zelensky has criticised the United States for ‘helping’ Vladimir Putin ‘to come out of isolation’, warning that Donald Trump ‘is living in a disinformation space’ created by Moscow.
The Ukrainian President declared that his country is not for sale, disputing Trump’s claims that the US has given Ukraine $500billion and calling the suggestion that Kyiv pay this back with a mineral exploration deal ‘not a serious conversation.’
‘Look, we all want a victory, and we want Trump to win, and we want Ukraine to win, all of us to succeed,’ he said. ‘But there is nothing clear here… I am protecting Ukraine. I can’t sell it away. I can’t sell our state.’
Speaking a day after a watershed meeting between US and Russian officials, which Kyiv was frozen out of, Zelensky added: ‘I believe that the United States helped Putin to break out of years of isolation… All of this has no positive impact on Ukraine.’
Trump last night appeared to blame Kyiv for Russia’s invasion, using a press conference to dismiss Zelensky’s anger at being cut out of the peace talks and criticise him for not making a deal to end the war sooner.
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov praised the US leader for ‘publicly and loudly’ blaming the conflict on moves to admit Kyiv into the NATO military alliance, saying ‘he is the first… and only Western leader’ to do so.
Moscow will have also welcomed Trump’s questioning of Zelensky’s legitimacy at last night’s briefing in Mar-a-Lago, where he suggested it had been ‘too long’ since Ukraine had held elections for him to have a seat at the negotiating table.
He insisted this point was ‘not a demand from Russia’ – but the claim came straight out of Moscow’s playbook, and failed to mention that Russia’s recent election in 2024 was rigged, with Putin’s foes killed, jailed or exiled.
Trump went on to falsely claim that the Ukrainian President is only supported by four per cent of Ukrainians.
Responding to theese claims, Zelensky said that the latest poll shows 58 per cent of Ukrainians trust him, adding that any attempt to replace him during the war would fail.
As US special representative Keith Kellogg prepared to begin talks with Kyiv, Zelensky suggested he use the opportunity to tour bombed out cities and speak to Ukrainians about the war.
‘Let him talk to the people. Do they trust their own president, or do they trust Putin? Let him ask about Trump, what do people think about Trump after his statements,’ Zelensky said.
He suggested that Kellogg tour the capital, ’20 to 30 per cent’ of which has been destroyed, as ‘It is important for him to see for himself what’s happening.’
‘Then I am ready to go to the frontline with him,’ Zelensky said. ‘We will go, let him talk to the military.’
He said that Russia remains ‘the guilty party,’ arguing that world leaders should not ‘whitewash’ their responsibility for the war.
Speaking to reporters last night, President Trump took aim at Zelensky for raising concerns that his country had not been at the table for talks between Washington and Moscow on Tuesday.
‘I think I have the power to end this war, and I think it’s going very well. But today, I heard, ‘Oh, well, we weren’t invited.’ Well, you’ve been there for three years,’ he said of Zelensky.
‘You should have ended it. You should have never started it. You could have made a deal. I could have made a deal for Ukraine.’
After the meeting between US and Russian officials in Riyadh, Trump said he was ‘much more confident’ that a peace deal could be struck.
‘They were very good,’ he said. ‘Russia wants to do something. They want to stop the savage barbarianism.’
The stunning claim came as Vladimir Putin’s forces launched a blistering aerial attack on the Ukrainian city of Odesa overnight, striking a children’s clinic and kindergarten and leaving much of the city without power.
When asked about Trump’s comments that Ukraine is responsible for the continuation of the war, a French government spokeswoman said that Paris did not understand the logic behind the US President’s remarks.
As fears mount that Washington could force Kyiv into an agreement it doesn’t want, Zelensky said yesterday that he will never accept a deal made without Ukraine’s input, and hit out at the US and Russia for holding talks ‘behind our backs’.
When asked about European countries potentially sending troops to Ukraine, Trump said yesterday: ‘If they want to do that, that’s great, I’m all for it… I mean, I know France has mentioned it, others have mentioned it, the UK has mentioned it.’
However, he added: ‘We won’t have to put any over there because, you know, we’re very far away.’
Sir Keir Starmer called for the US to provide a ‘backstop’ for any deal in Ukraine, saying that a security guarantee from Washington would be ‘the only way to effectively deter Russia’ from rebuilding its forces and launching another attack.
Zelensky earlier condemned Trump’s team in Saudi Arabia, saying they had been blinded by Putin’s ‘pathological liars’.
Referring to the overnight onslaught on Odesa, the Ukrainian leader said: ‘Just yesterday, after the infamous meeting in Riyadh, it became known that Russian representatives had once again lied about not allegedly striking the energy sector.
‘Almost at the same time, there was another strike, strike drones against electrical transformers.
‘And this was in winter, when it was minus six degrees Celsius at night. At least 160,000 Odessans are now without heat and electricity.
‘Thirteen schools, a kindergarten, and several hospitals are left without heating and electricity.
‘Repair crews are working, all utilities are involved. I am grateful to every rescuer, everyone who helps people.
‘We must remember that Russia is ruled by pathological liars, and they cannot be trusted – they must be pressured for the sake of peace.’
Kellogg insisted after arriving by train that he was there to listen on behalf of the Trump government.
‘We will listen. We are prepared to provide what is needed,’ he said. ‘We understand the need for security guarantees. Part of my mission is to listen.
‘Then I will go back to the United States, talk to President Trump to make sure we understand.’
He added that ‘it is very clear to us the importance of sovereignty of this nation,’ and that he would listen to Kyiv’s concerns to ‘ensure that we get this one right.’
Trump said he will ‘probably’ meet with Putin this month, with the Kremlin saying this morning that while talks would take time to prepare they could come before the end of the month.
During a visit to Turkey yesterday, Zelensky vowed that Ukraine would not bow to Moscow’s demands, even as relations warm between Russia and the US.
‘I wonder why they believe Ukraine would accept all these ultimatums now if we refused them at the most difficult moment,’ the Ukrainian President said, referring to Kyiv’s refusal to bow to Moscow’s demands during crisis talks at the start of the war.
Zelensky pointed out that there were ‘no agreements with the Russians during the occupation of Kyiv region,’ nor during negotiations in Belarus or Turkey.
Moscow at the time called for a reduction in the number of Ukrainian troops, recognition of occupied Ukrainian territories as part of Russia, and the appointment of a pro-Russian government in Kyiv.
‘As President of Ukraine, I have never given any guarantees to anyone or confirmed anything. Moreover, I have never intended to accept Russia’s ultimatums. And I am not going to,’ Zelensky said.
He added that while Ukraine wants the war to end, ‘we want it to be fair and that no one decides anything behind our backs.’
Former UK defence secretary Ben Wallace said that the White House has been spouting ‘fake news’ on Ukraine, and slammed Trump’s suggestion that Kyiv is to blame for the war as being one of the Kremlin’s ‘talking points’.
Jack Lopresti, another ex-Tory MP, who has now joined the army in Ukraine, said the US had been ‘taken for fools’ by Putin.
‘I don’t think [Putin] has any interest in peace whatsoever, he’s still building up his military, he’s upscaled his defence manufacturing and he’s just sitting back letting this all unfold,’ he told Sky News.
He added that where US leadership lacks, the UK is working ‘to get Europe on board and get them to ramp up their defensive and offensive capability.
‘We know what happens next, if Putin wins here he will not stop in Ukraine.’