President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Jan. 24 that Russian President Vladimir Putin is attempting to "manipulate" U.S. President Donald Trump. Zelensky’s warning came after Putin expressed willingness to engage in talks with Trump and praised the U.S. leader.
Kyiv reiterated its opposition to any peace negotiations between Trump and Putin on the nearly three-year war without the involvement of Ukraine and European partners.
"He wants to manipulate the desire of the President of the United States of America to achieve peace," Zelensky said in his evening address. "I am confident that no Russian manipulations will succeed anymore."
Earlier on the same day, Putin said that Russia is prepared to hold talks with Trump regarding the war in Ukraine. "Regarding negotiations, we have always said — and I want to emphasize this again — that we are ready for talks on the Ukrainian issue (Russia's full-scale invasion)," Putin told reporters.
Putin also claimed that Trump’s defeat in the 2020 U.S. presidential election contributed to the war in Ukraine. "If Trump's 2020 victory hadn't been stolen, there might not have been a crisis in Ukraine," he said. Putin added that Russia has "never refused contact" with the U.S. administration and described his previous interactions with Trump as "pragmatic and trusting."
The Russian leader also referenced a decree signed by Zelensky in 2022, which declared negotiations with Putin "impossible" following Russia’s annexation of four Ukrainian regions. Putin went on to question Kyiv’s stance: "How can negotiations be resumed if they are officially banned?"
Zelensky’s decree came in response to Russia’s illegal annexation of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson oblasts, a move widely condemned as illegitimate by the international community. Despite this, Putin continues to signal interest in engaging with Trump, fueling concerns in Kyiv about potential backchannel discussions that exclude Ukraine and its allies.
Dominic Culverwell
(Updated: )
