Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused Donald Trump of handing a victory to Russian President Vladimir Putin during their one-to-one summit in Alaska last month.
Trump met with Putin on August 15 as part of efforts to mediate a peace deal between Moscow and Kyiv. While both sides described the meeting as a positive step, it produced no results or breakthroughs.
Zelenskyy, during an interview on Sunday, said, “It’s a pity that Ukraine was not there, because I think that President Trump gave Putin what he wanted.”
“He wanted very much to meet with President Trump, with the president of the United States. And I think that Putin got it. And it’s a pity,” he added.
He expressed frustration over the continuing deadlock between Ukraine and Russia, where the conflict has claimed thousands of lives while leaving thousands more injured.
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He argued that “Putin was playing games with the United States”, claiming that the Russian leader had sought to show everybody video and images from his summit with Trump.
He said the international community must put pressure on Moscow, insisting it is not fair that some EU nations continue to buy Russian oil and gas, the revenue from which is funding the war in Ukraine.
Trump, who has previously criticised both Russia and Ukraine, hinted on Sunday that he was ready to impose additional sanctions on Moscow. He had earlier added a 25 per cent tariff on Indian imports of Russian oil.
Russia’s demands remain clear: Ukraine must recognise its new ground realities while abandoning plans to join NATO.
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