Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Trump must get “strong security guarantees” from Russia to end the war that’s been raging for nearly three years in Ukraine.
“We believe that President Trump wants to succeed in this situation,” Zelenskyy said, speaking in an interview with British broadcaster Piers Morgan via a translator. “Success is the victory of common sense, and that is definitely the end to the whole stage for the war — and for undoubtedly strong security guarantees for Ukraine, at least for Putin not to come back with the war again in half a year, months, one year.”
Zelenskyy stated that he is ready to move to the diplomatic track and open negotiations — after calling Russian President Vladimir Putin a “murderer” who he sees as his “enemy.” He said he will not accept territorial concessions in the eastern swath of the country, which is currently under Russian occupation.
Ultimately, the onus is on Trump, together with Europe, to bring to the negotiating table and get these assurances in a peace deal, according to Zelenskyy. “Donald Trump is the president of the United States of America and the responsibility will be on him,” he said.
Trump has been vocal about his desire to see an end to the war. He told reporters shortly after his inauguration that Zelenskyy told him he wants to make a deal, but “I don’t know if Putin does, he might not,” Trump said, “I think he’s destroying Russia by not making a deal.”
Zelenskyy, who was absent for Trump’s inauguration, mentioned that he had been invited, but said they needed time to sit and discuss the end of the war and that the inauguration “was simply not the most appropriate day for me to come.”
Zelenskyy affirmed how critical U.S. support has been for the Ukrainian military, saying that it accounts for 30 percent of their global support. There are still several billion dollars in U.S. funding heading Ukraine’s way, but Zelenskyy said if the aid stops, countries in Europe will follow the U.S.’ example.
“Ending support to Ukraine can lead very likely to the victory of Putin, and that means dragging the United States and all of Europe to a third World War,” Zelenskyy added.
The financial support for Ukraine has been criticized by many Republicans who believed Trump would stop aiding the war effort. In the weeks before the inauguration, Donald Trump Jr. joked that Zelenskyy was at risk of “losing his allowance” once Trump took office.
Instead, Zelenskyy told Morgan that he believes Trump has found that “Ukraine must be supported.”
