President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Vladimir Putin on Friday of undermining diplomatic efforts to bring about peace in Ukraine after the Russian leader’s response to a US-Ukrainian proposal for an unconditional 30-day ceasefire.
“He is now doing everything he can to sabotage diplomacy by setting extremely difficult and unacceptable conditions right from the start, even before a ceasefire,” Zelensky said in a post on X.
Putin has voiced scepticism about the idea, stating that significant problems still need to be answered, despite Washington and Kyiv’s calls for an immediate 30-day truce.
Zelensky asserted that Putin “will not end the war on his own” and that the United States might apply enough pressure on Russia to halt its assault.
“America has the strength to make it happen. We need to take strong measures. The only person who wishes to carry on this war needs to be subjected to intense pressure,” Zelensky stated in a social media post.
Throughout the war, Kyiv has depended on Washington, its most significant military and political ally.
But by contacting Russia and temporarily suspending military aid to Ukraine—even clashing with Zelensky at the White House—Trump started a change in US policy.
Trump removed the freeze after Ukraine agreed to the U.S. plan for a 30-day ceasefire with Moscow during negotiations in the Saudi port of Jeddah last week.
Zelensky, who has hailed the Jeddah negotiations, stated that it was critical to “preserve dialogue” between the US and Ukraine.
In a discussion with reporters in Kyiv, he also stated that Ukraine needed to keep up productive relations with Trump.
“Ukraine’s close ties with the United States are crucial. As its president, I speak for Ukraine. Donald Trump, the legitimately elected president, represents America. Normal, functional relations are what we need,” he stated.
