Zelensky says he warned Trump that Putin is ‘bluffing' over ending war
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky tells reporters in Berlin the Aug 15 US-Russia summit should focus on an immediate ceasefire.
KYIV – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Aug 13 that he warned US President Donald Trump ahead of his talks with Mr Vladimir Putin this week that the Russian leader is 'bluffing' about his desire to end the war.
Mr Trump and Mr Putin will meet in Alaska on Aug 15, where Kyiv and its allies are worried the two leaders may try to dictate the terms of peace in the war that has raged now for over three years.
'I told the US president and all our European colleagues that Putin is bluffing,' he said at a joint briefing in Berlin with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
'He is trying to apply pressure before the meeting in Alaska along all parts of the Ukrainian front. Russia is trying to show that it can occupy all of Ukraine,' he said.
Mr Zelensky's comments, made after a virtual call with Mr Trump and Europe's leaders, come as Russian forces step up pressure on the battlefield in eastern Ukraine, aiming to force Kyiv to give up land.
Mr Zelensky, who said he hoped the main topic of the talks in Alaska would be an immediate ceasefire, added that any discussions regarding territory should be covered during a three-leader meeting.
'Regarding our principles and territorial integrity, in the end this is all decided at the level of leaders,' he said. 'Without Ukraine, it is impossible to decide this. And, by the way, everyone also supports this.'
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Mr Zelensky said Mr Trump told him he would debrief him about his talks with Mr Putin. REUTERS
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