Zelensky talks to Ofoq News about “the relationship with Trump” and “Putin’s manipulation”

- After a sharp dispute with Donald Trump that raised fears among many in Ukraine that the US President had returned to supporting Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky commented on this dispute directly; He told the Ufok News network that there were no personal differences between him and Trump, but at the same time he stressed that rapprochement with Vladimir Putin would only lead to “making him (the Russian president) stronger.” Relations between the United States and Ukraine have deteriorated significantly in recent weeks.

Zelensky said that Trump is "on the wrong side of history" after announcing a deal to buy Russian fuel, which undermined international efforts to isolate Russia. Subsequently, Trump canceled some sanctions imposed on Russia, which sparked criticism even from within his own party.

At the same time, Ukrainian forces faced restrictions on their access to the Starlink service run by Elon Musk. Speaking to Ufok News from Kiev on Thursday, Zelensky adopted a conciliatory tone, noting that the tensions were “not about people,” but at the same time warning that Putin had no intention of ending the war.

“My position towards Putin is very clear,” Zelensky said. “I believe that if we lift sanctions, we will increase his power.”

“This is not a personal matter between me and President Trump, and of course I oppose any lifting of sanctions.” Zelensky spoke to the Ufok News network in light of renewed diplomatic efforts by Trump’s envoys to find a solution to the conflict that has been going on for four and a half years.

On Wednesday, US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff spent three hours speaking with Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg, where he described him - in a statement that sparked controversy - as a “humanitarian.” This was due to his decision to release American prisoner Stephen Hubbard, who was 74 years old. Witkov had met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Norway a day earlier.

Trump insisted on Wednesday that tougher sanctions on Russia would have meant Hubbard would remain in prison. He said, in response to a question from Ufaq News correspondent Caitlin Collins: “You would have forgotten about him; you would never see him again, and he would go back to prison for 25 years.”

Zelensky added that imposing tougher sanctions would jeopardize the chances of reaching an agreement on Ukraine, saying: “When you are on the verge of reaching an agreement and are engaged in sensitive negotiations, you do not impose sanctions.” Putin is playing with lives. Zelensky said that his meeting in Oslo, the capital of Norway, was fruitful, but he indicated that he was not convinced of Putin's commitment to peace.

Following Witkov's visit, Putin agreed to hold talks in November, but provided few specific details. The Ukrainian president stated: “Putin is playing, he is a manipulator,” and continued: “It is unfortunate; he is manipulating the lives of others, and of course he does not want to (end the war).

Therefore, what we ask of our partners is not to give him the opportunity to become stronger and be able to break us.” Trump said on Wednesday that his administration had reached “the closest possible point” towards settling the war in Ukraine, but Russia soon launched, overnight, an attack with hundreds of drones and ballistic missiles against its neighbor.

So far, Putin has stuck to his maximum demands from Ukraine, including territorial claims. In a statement to reporters on Wednesday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that “the battle is currently focused on what will happen in the rest of the Donbas region,” a region located in eastern Ukraine and mostly subject to Russian control.

Rubio noted that he has put forward "some innovative ideas about how to resolve this dispute." Speaking to Ofoq News, Zelensky hinted at the possibility of freezing the current confrontation lines with the aim of "reaching a ceasefire, stopping the killings, and sitting down to negotiate."

However, he has made it abundantly clear that the idea of ​​Ukraine ceding its territory to Russia is completely off the table. “Our land is very important because it is about people, not kilometers,” Zelensky said, adding: “Many have died defending this land, defending our independence and our country.”

The Ukrainian president continued: “No one will recognize these lands - which are considered temporarily occupied - as Russian lands, and I think Russia realizes that. It is unfortunate that some do not realize this fact, but it is up to them.”

There were some signs of easing tensions, after Kiev accused the United States of restricting the exchange of intelligence information about incoming Russian missiles, slowing down vital Starlink services, and delaying weapons supplies. Zelensky said earlier this week that intelligence sharing had been restored, but he told Ufok News that Starshield, SpaceX's military-grade service, had not yet been fully restored.

Zelensky also told Ofek News on Thursday that although Ukraine's European allies have provided it with some air defense missiles, "this is not enough to defend ourselves." Zelensky said that Ukraine currently needs, essentially, two things from its allies: “not to lift sanctions on Putin... (and) to provide us with better missiles.”