Zelenskyy: "Americans really want to finish with this war, but we need more pressure on Russia, not on me"

Khrystyna Bondarieva , VALENTYNA ROMANENKO — 11 March, 20:42

Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Photo: Office of the President of Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he hopes the United States can help bring the Russo-Ukrainian war to an end, but that more pressure needs to be put on the Russian Federation rather than on him.

Source: Volodymyr Zelenskyy in interviews with Welt, a German national daily newspaper, and Politico, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Zelenskyy said Ukraine supports negotiations and that the influence of US President Donald Trump is key in the talks. He added that the United States should direct its pressure at Russia.

Quote: "We don't trust Russia, but I think, and I trust that Americans really want to finish with this war. I hope that they will help us, but we need more pressure on Russia, not on me."

More details: Zelenskyy's comments came a week after Trump had expressed fresh frustration with Zelenskyy, saying the Ukrainian leader should "get on the ball" and sign a deal.

Trump suggested he has more faith in Kremlin leader Putin's willingness to negotiate a ceasefire than in Zelenskyy's, without offering evidence for this opinion. "I think Putin is ready to make a deal," Trump said.

Since Trump returned to the White House in January 2025, he has caused concern in Kyiv and among its European allies by repeatedly siding with Putin, denouncing Zelenskyy as a "dictator" and blaming him for starting the war.

Despite this, talks with Trump's envoys in December showed that the US was ready to provide Ukraine with some form of security guarantees, which would form the basis of a potential peace deal. But there are still no details on what exactly those promises would look like, Zelenskyy said.

Quote: "Be honest. For us, it's very important, but we don't have a clear answer.

President Trump told me, 'Do you trust that our security guarantees can be stronger than NATO?' I said, 'Yes, it depends on you for today. It depends on you, Mr President. God bless if we will have stronger security guarantees than NATO. But what will be after you? And what will be after me?'"

More details: Zelenskyy added that security guarantees would need approval from national parliaments and the US Congress to ensure future administrations could not withdraw from them.

Background:

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said trilateral talks between Ukraine, Russia and the United States have been postponed until next week at the US's request.
Earlier, Zelenskyy said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had told him in a phone call that Türkiye was ready to host the next round of trilateral talks.
Steve Witkoff, US President Donald Trump's Special Envoy said he hopes negotiations on settling Russia's war against Ukraine are reaching a turning point.

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