The Ukrainian president strongly criticised the United States for what he described as insufficient pressure on Russia to agree to peace talks. He stated that Washington has the ability to force Russian President Vladimir Putin to negotiate, but lacks the political will to do so.
Zelensky spoke during a visit to the Ukrainian town of Pryluky, which had been the target of a deadly Russian attack the day before. Twenty-two people were killed in the attack on a residential building, including five children. According to Zelensky, 78 people were killed in the attacks over two days, with 215 injured. He announced that the attacks would not go unanswered.
Rejection of the 'dead end' assessment
The Ukrainian president rejected the assessment by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio that diplomatic efforts had reached a dead end. "You cannot negotiate with the Russians about future projects on the one hand, and on the other say that we are in a diplomatic dead end," said Zelensky. He stated: "We are not in a diplomatic dead end. Destroy Putin's economy. Silence Russia. Stop feeding them with your sales. Simply impose sanctions on their weapons."
Zelensky requested that the United States intensify sanctions on Russia and allow Ukraine wider access to the Starlink system to better counter Russian missile threats. "Allow Ukraine access to Starlink. You did so when responding to Iran. I have stated openly: give us that, help us protect our sky and achieve air supremacy. Then Putin will sit at the negotiating table," he said. He added: "So where is the truth, where is the honesty? What is a dead end? This is a lack of will."
Zelensky believes that European countries cannot force Putin to negotiate on their own, but that the United States could play a decisive role. "The Europeans cannot force him to take that step on their own. They can help us by encouraging him to negotiate, but the Americans can do more. I believe President Trump can do more, and honestly, he should, given the huge losses," he said. He called on the US and Europe to jointly increase pressure on Moscow, stating that Putin currently has no interest in easing the conflict. He confirmed that Ukrainian negotiators would be in the United States on Friday and Saturday for further talks.
Rubio: Washington will not abandon diplomacy
The US Secretary of State stated during a visit to Portugal that the war in Ukraine had reached a dangerous stalemate, but emphasised that Washington would not abandon its attempts to find a diplomatic solution. "We would like to see a negotiated agreement that is lasting and fair. We will remain committed to that," said Rubio. He warned that continued escalation could lead to the spread of the conflict to other European countries, including NATO members. "The United States is ready to mediate. We have tried and will continue to try. But we will not participate in futile processes if there is no progress," he said.
Amidst diplomatic tensions, Reuters reported that US and Russian officials were considering the inclusion of American investors in the Nord Stream pipelines, through which Russian gas had previously flowed to Germany. According to Reuters sources, US President Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and Russian President Vladimir Putin's close associate, Kirill Dmitriev, were involved in the talks. The White House stated that there had been no such discussions about Nord Stream recently. It remains unclear how interested Washington is in restoring gas supplies to Germany, a project that would face significant political and legal obstacles due to US and European sanctions.
