The Ukrainian leader said it was “not pleasant” that the US President spoke with his Russian counterpart before him and has warned against talks without Kiev
Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky has spoken out against US President Donald Trump’s recent phone call with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, telling reporters on Thursday that it was “not pleasant” that Kiev was not contacted first.
On Wednesday, Trump and Putin held their first call since the US president returned to office, discussing possible steps toward negotiations to end the Ukraine conflict. The nearly 90-minute conversation has been described by the Kremlin as “constructive,” with both leaders agreeing to meet soon in a third country.
Following his phone call with Putin, Trump contacted Vladimir Zelensky, after which he announced that Kiev is prepared to seek an end to the conflict with Russia.
Commenting on the Putin-Trump phone call in a conversation with reporters on Thursday, Zelensky insisted that Kiev must be included in any negotiations. “We will not accept any bilateral negotiations about Ukraine without us,” he stressed.
He described his own conversation with Trump as a “really good discussion of almost an hour” but reiterated that it was “not pleasant” that Putin was contacted first.
“Calls are calls, I understand everything, but meetings are a priority for us. Ukraine-America, and only after such meetings, after developing a plan to stop Putin, I believe it is fair to talk to the Russians,” Zelensky said.
During his election campaign, Trump had repeatedly promised to swiftly end the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Since entering office last month, the Republican has taken a starkly different approach to the conflict than his predecessor Joe Biden, who had prioritized military aid for Ukraine.
Trump, in contrast, has criticized US assistance to Kiev and has insisted that Moscow must be part of the conversation to end the hostilities.
Trump has not outlined a specific plan but has stated that both Russia and Ukraine must be brought to the negotiating table. He has also suggested that the US could use sanctions and the withholding of US support as leverage.
He has said he understands Russia’s concerns about Ukraine joining NATO and has confirmed that Kiev would not become part of the bloc under any settlement.
Russia has repeatedly stated that it remains open to negotiations but has insisted that key issues, such as Ukraine’s NATO ambitions, must be resolved. At the same time, Putin has also said that Moscow cannot sign a deal with Zelensky, arguing that he no longer has legitimacy as the country’s leader.
Trump has also acknowledged that Kiev would have to eventually hold elections and noted that Zelensky might not see another term as his domestic poll numbers “aren’t particularly great, to put it mildly.”
