Ukraine's president arrived in London with a blunt message about Russia's leader and a measured but pointed critique of American priorities in the fifth year of the full-scale invasion.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy told journalists he has repeatedly cautioned Donald Trump that Vladimir Putin cannot be trusted. "I always said to President Trump that Putin is lying," Zelenskyy said. "He plays games with you, with the White House."
The Ukrainian leader acknowledged a shift in Washington's foreign policy focus under Trump's second term. He expressed frustration that Ukraine has not received the volume of military support that the US has provided to Gulf allies and Israel following the broader Middle East conflict. "It's a pity," he said, comparing the disparity directly.
Despite his well-documented tensions with Trump, including what he described as a bruising encounter in the Oval Office, Zelenskyy carefully praised American diplomatic efforts. Trump's openness to meeting Putin directly remains a concern for Kyiv, though the Ukrainian president stopped short of openly criticizing the approach.
On the battlefield, Zelenskyy offered a more optimistic assessment than many observers have heard from him in recent months. The military situation represents the most promising position for Kyiv in two and a half years, he said. "We can't say Russia is losing this war. But we can say they are losing the initiative each day, day by day," he noted.
His definition of victory reflects a long-term strategy focused on the Russian home front rather than immediate military defeat. "Victory in this war is when Russian society recognises that the war is awful, that the war is a tragedy not for someone, somewhere, but for themselves," Zelenskyy explained.
To achieve that goal, Ukraine has deployed long-range drone strikes against targets in Moscow and St. Petersburg, deliberately bringing the conflict to Russian population centers. The purpose is to make ordinary Russians "feel" the cost of the invasion directly.
Author James Rodriguez: "Zelenskyy is placing a high-stakes bet that American attention, despite Trump's stated willingness to talk to Putin, remains crucial to Ukraine's survival, and he's trying to convince Washington that Putin's diplomatic overtures are tactical theater masking imperial ambition."
Comments