Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said US President Donald Trump now understands that Ukraine cannot exchange territory with Russia.
Speaking in an interview with Fox News on Tuesday, Zelensky said he had a “good conversation” with Trump and believes the US president’s position has shifted.
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“First of all, it’s important that today I had a good conversation with President Trump, and I think he understands today that we can’t just swap territories. It’s not fair,” Zelensky said.
“I really count on the continuation of this attitude toward the question of our sovereignty. It’s not about territory; the question is how to stop the war, to stop Putin, to change his position on this war.”
The interview came as Trump signaled a shift in his public stance on Russia’s war in Ukraine. On Tuesday, he said Ukraine “can win” and reclaim lost territory, calling Russia a “paper tiger,” a sharp departure from earlier calls for Kyiv to consider territorial concessions.
Trump and Zelensky met privately on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assrmbly’s top-level annual meeting. Following the discussion, Trump praised Zelensky as a “brave man” who is “putting up one hell of a fight.”
“We have great respect for the fight that Ukraine is putting up. It’s pretty amazing, actually,” Trump said. He also called Moscow’s economy “terrible right now.” When asked if he could still trust Putin, Trump said he would know “about a month.”
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Zelensky said he was slightly surprised by Trump’s shift. “A little bit. He [Trump] showed that he wants to support Ukraine to the very end. So we understand now that we’re ready to finish this war as quickly as possible. And he wants, and I want, and our people want this,” Zelensky said.
“However, he understands that Putin doesn’t want this and doesn’t acknowledge that he’s not winning, yet he tells everybody that he will win. I was very positive to see that Trump and America will be with us to the end of the war.”