Ukrainian President Zelensky rejected Donald Trump’s accusations of obstructing peace and emphasized that Kyiv is not an obstacle to the agreement. He reiterates that Russian attacks on infrastructure and civilians are behind the continuation of the war.
Ukraine has never been an obstacle to peace, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a video published on Thursday evening. He reacted with it to US President Donald Trump’s claim that Kiev is holding back a potential peace agreement on Ukraine. TASR informs about it according to the report of the Sky News station.
- Zelenskyy claims that Ukraine is not an obstacle to peace.
- Trump said that Kiev, not Russia, is holding back peace.
- The Kremlin agrees with Trump and has declared its willingness to negotiate.
- European allies say that Russia does not want to end the war.
- Russia continues its attacks, Kiev was hit by drones.
“Ukraine has never been and will never be an obstacle to peace. When Ukrainians are left without electricity for 20-30 hours because of Russia, and when Russian attacks are aimed at our energy system and our people, it is Russia that must be put under pressure,” Zelenskyy said.
The statement of Trump and the Kremlin
The head of the White House said in an interview with the Reuters agency that Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to conclude an agreement to end the war in Ukraine, while Kiev allegedly prevents the conclusion of a possible peace agreement.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov expressed his agreement with Trump’s statement on Thursday. “President Vladimir Putin and the Russian side remain open (to the deal),” he said.
Contrasts between allies
Reuters noted that Trump’s view contrasts with that of Ukraine’s European allies, who say Moscow has little interest in ending the fighting and wants to gain as much territory as possible while trying to stave off further sanctions from the West.
Zelenskyy repeatedly says that Russia does not want peace, which he says is evidenced by Russia’s ongoing attacks on Ukraine. Russia continued its attacks on Friday night, when it sent 76 drones to Ukraine. The Ukrainian military said 53 of them were shot down or otherwise destroyed. However, nine attack drones hit 19 places, and in another place, the wreckage of an unmanned aircraft hit the ground. The capital city of Kyiv was once again the target of drone attacks.
