ISTANBUL
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned Tuesday that US President Donald Trump now has a “a lot deeper understanding” of the realities of the battle in Ukraine and could possibly be a “recreation changer” in efforts to finish the battle with Russia.
Zelenskyy instructed reporters after his assembly with Trump in New York that the US president had beforehand relied on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s assessments of the battle however now trusts Ukrainian intelligence and battlefield studies.
“One after the other, he understood that Putin is simply sharing some data which is way from the true state of affairs. Now he trusts way more to me,” he mentioned.
Zelenskyy welcomed Trump’s name to cease importing Russian power, saying Ukraine had lengthy warned European nations about dependence on Moscow.
He famous Slovakia was transferring towards alternate options, whereas criticizing Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban for refusing to shift from Russian provides. “All of Hungary can’t pay for the error of 1 particular person,” he mentioned.
He underlined that Ukraine has retaken about 360 kilometers (224 miles) of territory since September and warned that Russia continues to check NATO’s defenses with drone strikes and cyberattacks.
“Trump agreed with me that Putin won’t anticipate the tip of the battle in Ukraine. He’ll attempt to discover weak locations in Europe, in NATO nations,” mentioned Zelenskyy.
On doable ensures, Zelenskyy mentioned Trump expressed a readiness to supply safety assurances as soon as the battle ends, although particulars stay beneath dialogue.
He pointed to the significance of US-provided air protection techniques to counter Russian missile strikes.
He additionally welcomed a deliberate assembly between Ukraine’s first woman Olena Zelenska and US first woman Melania Trump as “an excellent step ahead.”
Zelenskyy harassed that China has proven no real interest in serving to finish the battle.
“For at the moment, I see that Trump is a recreation changer,” he mentioned, including that Chinese language President Xi Jinping “also can have affect on Russia” however has to date declined to make use of it.
