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President Volodymyr Zelenskyy believes he defended Ukraine’s dignity of Ukraine during a tense conversation with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House in late February.
The president expressed his opinion in an interview with Time, Ukrinform reports.
“In that conversation, I was defending the dignity of Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said.
He recalled that it was precisely because of a sense of dignity that Ukrainians began to defend themselves from the very outset of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
“Why did the Ukrainians defend themselves at the start of this war? It was because of dignity. We do not consider ourselves some kind of superpower,” the head of state noted.
The president continued that Ukrainians “are very emotional, and when it comes to our sense of dignity, freedom, democracy, our people rise up and unite”.
The magazine notes that Ukrainians were hoping to see in the Oval Office in late February proof that the United States remains their ally.
“But in that moment there was the sense of not being allies, or not taking the position of an ally,” Zelenskyy concluded.
As reported earlier, Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s meeting with Donald Trump on February 28 completed early after the conversation between Zelenskyy, Trump, and Vance at the White House turned into a heated argument.
Later in March, U.S. President Donald Trump said he had invited his Ukrainian counterpart to meet at the White House again.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that the pause in the provision of intelligence data from the United States did not affect the deterioration of the situation of Ukrainian troops in the Kursk region.
The suspension of military aid and the provision of intelligence information to Ukraine by the United States coincided with the rapid advance of the Russians in the Kursk region. But Volodymyr Zelenskyy refused to place the blame for this on the Trump administration and its decision to freeze aid to Ukrainian troops.
“This is not connected. Understand me correctly. Morale always depends on whether your partners stand beside you. But I would not say that the freeze affected the operation in Kursk,” the president said.
Zelenskyy also called false the information about the alleged encirclement of Ukrainian forces in the Kursk region, which was spread by Donald Trump. Trump stated about the “encirclement” of Ukrainian troops after a phone conversation with Vladimir Putin.
Zelenskyy expressed concern that American officials had begun to believe Vladimir Putin at his word, even when their own intelligence contradicted the words of the Russian leader.
“I believe that Russia managed to influence some people in the White House team through information. Their message to the Americans was that Ukrainians do not want to end the war, and something must be done to force them,” Zelenskyy said.
More main statements from the Ukrainian president:
- During the meeting in the Oval Office, Zelenskyy showed Trump photos of Ukrainian soldiers after their release from Russian captivity. The images depicted emaciated individuals, some bearing visible signs of torture. “This is tough material,” Trump said.
- According to some American officials, this was the moment when the meeting went off track. The images seemed to place blame on Trump for the suffering of those soldiers. Nevertheless, Zelenskyy does not regret his decision. He wanted to move beyond Trump’s need for flattery and appeal to him as a human being. “He has a family, loved ones, children. He must feel what every person feels,” Zelenskyy remarked.
- “U.S. officials have started taking Putin at his word, even when their own intelligence contradicts him. Russia has managed to influence some individuals within the White House team.”
- To Zelenskyy’s disappointment, Trump agreed to certain concessions to Russia without securing anything in return. He withdrew Ukraine’s bid for NATO membership. He even suggested that he might reinstate Russia in the G7. Zelenskyy warns that allowing this would undo the only tangible consequence Putin faces for invading Ukraine—his political isolation. “This is a major compromise. Imagine lifting Hitler out of political isolation.”
- The Russians are truly afraid of sanctions. Zelenskyy hopes that Trump will recognize that Putin is weaker than he seems and that a Russian victory in this war would be disastrous not only for Ukraine but for the entire West—especially for the U.S. and its leadership.
- During his last phone call with Trump’s vice president, J.D. Vance, Zelenskyy invited him to reconsider his decision not to visit Ukraine during the war. “We are still waiting for you,” he said. The vice president did not respond.
Read also: Former Swedish PM on Witkoff’s Interview: “Putin Knows Flattery Works on Trump”
