Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukrainian officials understand Russian leader Vladimir Putin “much better” than President Trump, who has repeatedly said Putin wants peace, even as he rejects U.S. proposals for a ceasefire.
“With all due respect to President Trump, I think it’s just his personal opinion,” Zelensky told Martha Raddatz on ABC’s “This Week” in an interview that aired Sunday morning.
“Trust me, we understand the Russians much better, the mentality of the Russians, than the Americans understand the Russians. I know for sure Putin doesn’t want to stop the war.”
Zelensky also took issue with Trump’s comments in the Oval Office this week comparing Ukraine and Russia to children fighting.
“We are not playing in the park with the Russians like two boys, two kids. Putin is not a kid,” Zelensky said. “So we can’t compare, and we cannot say, ‘OK, let them fight for a while.’”
“And it’s not about President Trump,” he added. “Anyone living thousands of miles away can’t fully understand the pain, even parents who live in Ukraine cannot feel the pain of those who lost their children.”
Ukraine stunned Russia last weekend with drone attacks on Russian air bases, which it said destroyed dozens of bombers. The drones were smuggled into Russia on 18-wheeler trucks, which were parked near military bases and remotely opened ahead of the attack.
Trump spoke with Putin on Wednesday, telling reporters that Russia planned to retaliate for the drone strikes. Russia killed five people in Ukraine in drone attacks the next day.
Raddatz asked Zelensky if he believed Trump thinks Russia is winning the war.
“I think he’s publicly said about it, and I know that he shared this information with some people around him, and I think the separation — and I said it a lot of times, it’s not true. It’s not a victory when you spent, really spent 1 million people,” he said.
Zelensky added that Trump “must” impose stronger sanctions on Russia.
Trump this week said he had yet to look at Sen. Lindsey Graham’s (R-S.C.) Russia sanctions bill, which is co-sponsored by more than 80 senators, but the president said senators would not move without his blessing.
Senators in both parties are itching for the green light.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) told reporters that the bill could hit the floor during the current four-week work period.
“[The White House is] still hopeful they’ll be able to strike some sort of a deal, but … there’s a high level of interest here in the Senate on both sides of the aisle in moving on it,” he said.
“I think a genuine interest in doing something to make clear to Russia that they need to come to the table … I think that would have a big impact.”
The Hill has reached out to the White House for comment.
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