"Russians are playing games": Zelenskyy urges Trump to recognise Kremlin manipulation

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that Russia has no intention of ending the war and that Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin is merely "playing games" with US President Donald Trump in an attempt to use the negotiation process to weaken Ukraine's position.

Source: Zelenskyy in an interview with the Financial Times

Quote: "Russians are playing games and not serious about bringing the war to a close. I see it, because they are very poor actors. They are playing with Trump and playing with the entire world. That's how it is. Putin thinks he looks convincing and that he can be trusted. No – he is a bad actor."

Details: Zelenskyy stressed that Russia is only creating the illusion of being ready for peace.

He earlier said that the Russians had offered Trump a package of economic cooperation agreements worth US$12 trillion. He noted that the proposal included provisions "about Ukraine" that could potentially allow the exploitation of natural resources in territories occupied by Russia.

Zelenskyy underlined that such actions are "demagoguery and lies", and that any agreements with Putin without firm guarantees are dangerous because Russia cannot be trusted.

The president also noted that Trump's pressure on Ukraine is significantly greater than his pressure on Moscow. However, Zelenskyy said he still hopes that his counterpart in Washington will change his position.

"I hope President Trump and the US will pressure Russia and stop Putin. But I rely primarily on Ukrainian citizens, our army, our production," he said.

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