Zelensky Urges Trump to Increase Pressure on Putin, Calls for Ukraine’s Inclusion in Peace Talks

TDT | Manama

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged Donald Trump to apply more pressure on Vladimir Putin to end the war against its neighbor, saying the Russian president was stronger than Hamas, in an interview that aired Sunday on NBC.

Asked on “Meet the Press” whether Trump should get tougher on Putin after spearheading a ceasefire deal in Gaza, Zelensky said in English, “Yes, and even more because Putin is something similar, but more strong than Hamas. It’s more bigger war, and he is the second army in the world.” He added: “And that’s why more pressure.”

The interview aired after Zelensky returned from a trip to Washington where he failed to secure long-range Tomahawk missile supplies. Zelensky met Trump at the White House after calling for Tomahawks for weeks, hoping to capitalize on Trump’s growing frustration with Putin after a summit in Alaska failed to produce a breakthrough.

But the Ukrainian leader left empty-handed as Trump eyes a fresh diplomatic breakthrough on the back of last week’s Gaza peace deal.

In his interview, the Ukrainian leader also said he should be included in upcoming talks in Budapest that are planned between Trump and Putin. “If we really want to have just and lasting peace, we need both sides of this tragedy,” Zelensky said. “Yes, he’s an occupier, but Ukraine is suffering and fighting. And, of course, how can [there] be some deals without us about us?”