Zelenskyy Says He Doesn’t Believe Rumors About Trump’s Plan to End Russia-Ukraine War

WELKER: “‘The Washington Post’ is reporting that Donald Trump has said privately he could end Russia’s war in Ukraine by pressuring Ukraine to give up some territory like Crimea, like the Donbas region. What is your reaction? And realistically speaking, do you see this war ending in a negotiation with Russia?”
Zelenskyy (via translator): “Let’s just say that, well, I’m a president of a country at war. And rumors and different hearsay, I don’t believe that. When Trump comes here and would tell me their formula of peace, then I would be able to provide the response. At the moment, I know that, well, things Putin wants to show, they cannot happen. And I’m sure that people who know him well, they know that you can never trust Putin. It’s impossible. So the strategy of ending the war should be based not on the words which Putin says or some other people from his entourage say, but on something very specific, something very tangible in Ukraine that is independent and democratic. And I’m confident that everyone is interested in that. All the political leaders in the U.S. also are interested to have Ukraine independent and sovereign and democratic. It’s of interest for both the Republicans and the Democrats.”
WELKER: “President Zelenskyy, back in February Donald Trump encouraged Putin to invade NATO countries that he doesn’t believe are contributing enough to defense spending. What kind of a message do you think that sends to the world?”
Zelenskyy (via translator): “Well, I don’t know the details of that speech. I know for sure if Ukraine fails, then Putin definitely will invade the Baltic countries. Why? Not because there’s some interesting idea, strategy, but because Putin wants to return the influence of the Soviet Union. And he really wants to retake the force to war. He wants to retake all former Soviet republics and now independent states. Whether they are in the NATO or not, he doesn’t care. That is why this is his strategy. Of course, after the Baltic states, also Poland and parts of Germany would also — “