Zelensky cautions Washington against backing Putin
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told NBC News that Washington siding with Russian President Vladimir Putin would be a disastrous choice. He said Ukraine could not survive if the U.S. and Russia stood together. The comments came after President Trump criticized Zelensky and said he found him harder to deal with than Putin.
Zelensky told NBC News’s Kristen Welker, in an interview aired Sunday on “Meet the Press,” that U.S. backing for Putin would be a grave error and tragedy. He added that if the United States and Russia aligned, Ukraine could not prevail or stand.
Trump had criticized Zelensky in a Newsmax interview, calling him difficult and saying a settlement might not be reached with him. Trump also said he found Zelensky harder to deal with than Putin and expected the war to end soon. Zelensky separately condemned a diesel arrangement with Russia as a boon to Putin, warning Russia would answer with more violence and duplicity.
The exchange may deepen uncertainty for Ukrainians and U.S. allies about Washington’s reliability, potentially affecting morale and diplomatic calculations.