Ukraine Demands Seat at the Table in Planned Trump-Putin Talks After Missile Request Denied
WASHINGTON/KYIV: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called on US President Donald Trump to exert “even more” pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war, starkly comparing the Russian leader to the Middle East militant group but acknowledging him as the more formidable foe.
In an interview with NBC News that aired Sunday, Zelensky was asked if Trump should be tougher on Putin following the US President’s successful brokering of a ceasefire agreement in Gaza last week.
“Yes, even more so, because Putin (his situation) is similar, but he is stronger than Hamas,” Zelensky replied in English. “It is a broader war, and he has the second largest army in the world. That’s why pressure must be increased.”
The interview was broadcast shortly after Zelensky’s trip to Washington, where he failed to secure the long-range Tomahawk missiles he had been requesting for weeks. Zelensky had met with Trump at the White House, hoping to leverage Trump’s growing frustration with Putin following the lack of progress at a recent summit in Alaska.
However, the Ukrainian leader returned empty-handed as Trump appeared focused on achieving a new diplomatic breakthrough, fresh off the Gaza ceasefire deal.
The US President reaffirmed his hesitation to supply the long-range cruise missiles, which could strike deep into Russian territory. In a separate interview aired Sunday on a program on Fox, Trump indicated he needed to preserve US military stockpiles.
“We also need them,” Trump said. “We can’t give all our weapons to Ukraine.”
Zelensky also used the NBC interview to demand his country’s involvement in the upcoming planned talks between Trump and Putin in Budapest, Hungary.
“If we really want to achieve a fair and lasting peace, we need both parties of this tragedy,” he stated. “Yes, he is an occupier, but Ukraine is suffering and fighting,” stressing that Ukrainians must be included in any deal that concerns them.
The call for greater US pressure comes as Moscow has intensified attacks on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure in recent weeks, leaving thousands without heating and lighting just as the cold winter season approaches.
