Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told Newsmax on Tuesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin is afraid of the U.S., given his tendency to halt bombing Kyiv during visits by special envoy Keith Kellogg and other Americans.
Kellogg, a retired U.S. Army lieutenant general, arrived in Kyiv on Monday on the heels of an announcement by President Donald Trump that the U.S. would rearm Ukraine with missiles and other weaponry, including a Patriot air defense system, and warned of "very severe tariffs" if Russia did not end the war in 50 days.
Russia on Tuesday reportedly rejected Trump's ultimatum on his 50-day deadline, with Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov saying that "any attempts to make demands, especially ultimatums, are unacceptable to us."
"Gen. Kellogg arrived and there were no massive bombings for two nights in a row," Zelenskyy said in an exclusive interview with Newsmax correspondent Shelby Wilder in Kyiv. "This is a very interesting example: there were no heavy attacks this night and the previous night, too.
"Even people are already joking about it, saying that we should give Gen. Kellogg a Ukrainian passport and leave him here and that Americans should come to us more often because then Russia would bomb less. What does this mean? That Putin deliberately bombs civilians.
"But when the Americans are here, he doesn't do it. That is, he intimidates, blackmails, creates tension, but does not go for a full escalation," he said.
"This means one thing: Putin is afraid of America. I've been saying this all along, and I've also told the president. Whatever the case, Putin is afraid of America. And I am sure of it."
Zelenskyy noted differences between how Trump and former President Joe Biden, under whose watch the war began in February 2022, have handled the conflict.
"President Trump is giving Putin a chance to end this war," said Zelenskyy, clarifying he is not intending to criticize and is grateful for what the U.S. has provided to Ukraine in the more than 3-year-old war.
"I really want to believe that [Trump] has given [Putin] this window of opportunity," Zelenskyy said. "And I really want to believe that if Putin doesn't draw conclusions, President Trump will really apply powerful sanctions that cannot be circumvented — first of all, in the energy and banking sectors. And also, that he will provide us with a strong deterrent package and powerful air defense systems that will be able to protect Ukraine and ultimately European countries. This is the difference," he said.
"But President Biden was not able to end this war. I am confident that President Trump can do it. I think that will be the main difference."
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Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.