Zelensky: Trump Could Bring Putin to Talks by Changing His Rhetoric

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky believes US President Donald Trump can help end Russia’s war against Ukraine if he changes his rhetoric toward Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin. Zelensky said so in an interview with Steven Bartlett on “The Diary Of A CEO” podcast, as cited by European Pravda.

“Trump can make Putin sit down at the negotiating table very easily. Trump should transfer the rhetoric he uses toward me onto Putin. He has sanctions against Russia on his desk — it was not he who voted for them but Congress — and he can do it. Maybe they have a special relationship with Putin, maybe something else — I don’t know what the reason is,” Zelensky said.

“A complete lie” about diesel prices

Zelensky also called unfair Trump’s statements that the Ukrainian president is supposedly to blame for rising diesel prices in the United States. He explained that Ukraine strikes Russian oil refineries in response to the aggressor’s strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure. An energy ceasefire could change the situation, but so far Trump has not managed to secure such a deal.

“President Trump cannot reach an agreement on this with Putin. Putin refuses him. So the president decides to put the blame not on Putin but on me. He explains to Americans that prices in the US are rising because we hit Russia. That is a complete lie. We have good relations with Trump, and I think it is unfair that he blames me. He is changing the context,” Zelensky said.

Background

Trump earlier said that Zelensky does not want to end the war and that Ukraine lies in ruins. That followed his announcement that he had spoken with the Russian leader and reached an agreement on supplies of Russian diesel fuel to the American and global markets. On October 21 we reported that Trump says the end of the Russia-Ukraine war is “closer than ever”.