Zelensky accuses Trump of putting unfair pressure on Ukraine in peace talks
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused US President Donald Trump of putting excessive pressure on Ukraine to strike a peace deal with Russia after nearly four years of war and not on Moscow.
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Zelensky accuses Trump of putting unfair pressure on Ukraine in peace talks
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Zelensky made the remark to the American news website Axios as new US‑brokered talks opened in Geneva on Tuesday.
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What to expect from the Geneva talks between Russia, Ukraine and the US
In the interview, he said Ukrainians would reject any plan requiring the country to hand over territory in the eastern Donbas that Russia has failed to capture if such a proposal were put to a referendum.
Speaking to Axios, Zelensky said it was “not fair” for Trump to publicly demand concessions from Kyiv rather than from Moscow in the peace negotiations.
“I hope this is just a tactic on his part and not a final decision,” the Ukrainian president said.
+ Read our coverage of the Ukraine conflict
Ukrainian and Russian negotiators are in Geneva for a new round of peace talks hosted by the US.
Zelensky again thanked Trump for his efforts and said he had not faced the same kind of pressure in his conversations with Steve Witkoff, the US president’s special envoy, or Jared Kushner, the president’s son‑in‑law.
“We respect each other,” he said, adding that he was “not the kind of person” to bow to pressure.
Translated from French by AI/sp
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