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Trump needs to understand that Putin lies, blocks peace efforts, Zelensky says

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Trump needs to understand that Putin lies, blocks peace efforts, Zelensky says
President Volodymyr Zelensky meets U.S. President Donald Trump shortly before the funeral of Pope Francis in the Vatican on April 26, 2025. (Andriy Yermak/Telegram)

U.S. President Donald Trump must realize that Russian President Vladimir Putin is an obstacle to peace efforts, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in comments reported by the Guardian on May 13.

"Trump needs to believe that Putin actually lies," Zelensky told journalists in Kyiv.

"And we should do our part. Sensibly approach this issue, to show that it’s not us that is slowing down the process."

The comments come ahead of Zelensky's planned trip to Turkey, where he invited Putin to discuss a potential ceasefire and a prisoner exchange in what would be the first direct peace negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow since 2022.

Russia has confirmed that it would dispatch a delegation to the talks, which will also be attended by top U.S. officials, but declined to confirm Putin's participation.

"If Putin does not arrive and plays games, it is the final point that he does not want to end the war," Zelensky said.

Ukraine and its allies have called for an unconditional 30-day ceasefire starting on May 12 as the first step toward peace – a proposal ignored by Russia.

Trump has voiced optimism about the potential meeting of the two leaders and suggested he might attend as well.

The White House has grown increasingly frustrated with the stalled peace efforts as the self-imposed 100-day deadline to broker a deal has passed. The U.S. president has been critical of both Ukraine and Russia, blaming them for the deadlock in the negotiations.

After meeting Zelensky in the Vatican on April 26, Trump admitted that Putin may not be interested in peace and floated the possibility of imposing additional sanctions on Russia.

As Ukraine, Russia peace talks loom, all eyes are on Putin’s next move
With just two days to go before Russian-proposed peace talks might begin in Istanbul, the Kremlin is still refusing to confirm whether or not President Vladimir Putin will attend the event. President Volodymyr Zelensky has already said he will meet Putin there, a move that puts the ball very much into the Kremlin’s court. Upping the pressure further, U.S. President Donald Trump said on May 12 that he believes that “both leaders” will be there, thrusting Putin into a delicate diplomatic dilemma
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Martin Fornusek

Senior News Editor

Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.

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