Ukraine faces a major challenge in resisting Russia’s assault without backing from the United States, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned on Friday. His remarks came after phone calls earlier this week between US President Donald Trump, Zelenskyy, and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Speaking in an interview, Zelensky said, “Probably it will be very, very, very difficult. And of course, in all the difficult situations, you have a chance. But we will have low chance – low chance to survive without support of the United States.”
An excerpt from the interview, which is scheduled to be broadcast on Sunday, was released on Friday.
Trump discussed the war in Ukraine in separate calls with Putin and Zelensky on Wednesday, marking his first major diplomatic engagement in a conflict he has pledged to resolve swiftly.
Following the calls, Trump stated that he did not believe it was practical for Ukraine to join NATO and suggested it was unlikely that Kyiv would regain all of its lost territory.
Russia, which annexed Crimea in 2014, launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Ukraine continues to demand that Russia withdraw from all occupied territories and insists on NATO membership or equivalent security guarantees to prevent further aggression from Moscow.
Zelensky stated in the interview that Putin was seeking negotiations not to end the war but to secure a ceasefire that would lead to the lifting of international sanctions on Russia while allowing its military to regroup.
“This is really what he wants. He wants pause, prepare, train, take off some sanctions, because of ceasefire,” Zelensky said.
Trump described his conversation with Putin as “a good conversation” that lasted over an hour, while the Kremlin reported that the call lasted nearly an hour and a half.
Zelensky’s office confirmed that his call with Trump lasted about an hour, with Trump characterising the discussion as having “gone very well.”
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