President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with Bild on April 9 that he is skeptical about U.S. ex-President Donald Trump's alleged peace plan on ceding part of occupied Ukrainian territories to Russia.
The Washington Post wrote on April 7, citing anonymous sources, that Trump had privately said he could end Russia's war by pressuring Ukraine to cede Crimea and Donbas to Moscow.
According to the Washington Post, Trump also said he believes that both Moscow and Kyiv "want to save face, they want a way out," claiming that Ukrainians in Russian-occupied territories would not object to being part of Russia.
Trump's advisor, Jason Miller, later denied these claims in a comment for the New York Post, calling the article "fake news" and saying that "Trump is the only one talking about stopping the killing."
"If the deal and the idea is simply to give our territories, then it is very primitive," Zelensky said.
Ukraine's president also stressed that he would be happy to listen to Trump's approach to ending the war quickly if the former U.S. president "actually had it."
"But we need strong arguments," Zelensky added.
"We don't need a fantastic idea, but a real one. This is about human lives; we cannot make jokes, and we cannot take risks."
Zelensky also recalled that Kyiv had invited Trump to Ukraine, publicly and non-publicly, to see the situation in the country with his own eyes. Trump did not accept the invitation, but Zelensky expressed hope that the former U.S. president could visit Ukraine "soon."
"I am definitely willing to meet him," the president said.
Trump is set to become the Republican nominee in the U.S. presidential election after former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley exited the presidential race on March 6.
The former U.S. president said in May that he would not commit to providing Ukraine with defense assistance if he won the 2024 election.
Kris Parker
(Updated: )
