The NBC News interview with Zelensky was recorded on Friday, a day after Trump's phone call with Putin in which the two leaders agreed to meet next week in Budapest. Zelensky said that he is ready to take part in it because he cannot imagine that talks about the future of Ukraine could take place without him. “If we really want to have a just and lasting peace, we need both sides of this tragedy,” he told NBC News. — How can there be any contracts without us about us? – he asked.
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Volodymyr Zelensky appeals for pressure on Vladimir Putin
Zelensky said that Donald Trump should tighten his relations with Vladimir Putin and put stronger pressure on him. Part of that pressure could include giving Ukraine long-range Tomahawk missiles that could be used to strike deep into Russia. Although Trump did not explicitly say yes or no, Zelensky emphasized that he was optimistic on the matter. In his opinion, Vladimir Putin is afraid of Trump's possible positive decision regarding the Tomahawks. “He's really afraid that we're going to take advantage of them,” he told NBC News.
The president of Ukraine admitted that he believes that Donald Trump is able to end the war, just as he did with the conflict in the Middle East. However, he emphasized that he did not intend to give anything to Russia in exchange for peace. — We are not losing this war, and Putin is not winning, Zelensky said, adding that Russia is intensifying airstrikes in Ukraine because of its “weak position” on the front.
Donald Trump announced on Thursday after a phone call with Putin that he would meet with the Russian leader in Budapest. The talks are scheduled to take place next week. Trump wrote on his Truth Social social media platform that during the meeting in Hungary, the leaders would try to “put an end to the 'infamous' war between Russia and Ukraine.”
