Ukrainian President Zelensky Calls War With Russia Far From Over
JAKARTA - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the deal to end the war between Ukraine and Russia was "still very, very far away", on the other hand saying he believes his country's long-term partnership with the United States is strong enough, so Washington's support will continue despite tensions at the White House last week.
"I think our relationship (with the US) will continue, as this is more than just an occasional relationship," President Zelensky said, referring to Washington's support over the past three years of the war.
"I believe Ukraine has a strong enough partnership with the United States" to continue to deliver aid, he said at a briefing in Ukrainian before leaving London.
President Zelensky is publicly optimistic despite recent fierce spats in the Oval Room with President Trump and Vice President JD Vance, where they accuse him of being "disrespectful" and say he should be more grateful for America's help.
The Ukrainian leader is in London to attend British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's efforts to garner support from his European counterparts to continue to support Ukraine, amid political uncertainty in the US and President Trump's approach to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
When asked by a reporter to comment on the outline of a new European initiative to end Russia's war, President Zelensky said: "We are talking about today's first steps, and therefore, until those steps are written, I don't want to talk about them in detail."
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"The agreement to end the war is still very, very far away, and no one has started all these steps yet. The peace we look forward to in the future must be fair, honest, and most importantly, sustainable," he added.
It is known that President Trump moved quickly to contact President Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin last month, saying the two wanted peace and war to end. Washington and Moscow then increased communication by holding meetings in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and Istanbul, Turkey, a move that raised fears Ukraine and Europe would be abandoned in the White House Leaders' agreement with the Kremlin Leaders.