Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told Newsmax on Tuesday that President Donald Trump has finally seen Vladimir Putin for what he is: a liar.
Trump, who vowed to end the war in Ukraine shortly after taking office, has been frustrated by the Russian president's reluctance to agree to a peace deal or even a ceasefire. Trump on Monday announced a plan to rearm Ukraine with missiles and other weaponry, including a Patriot missile 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."
"President Trump realizes that Putin is lying to him," Zelenskyy said in an exclusive interview with Newsmax correspondent Shelby Wilder in Kyiv. "And it is important that President Trump sees this for himself — not what he learns from someone else, but what he sees for himself.
"We have supported all the U.S. initiatives on the ceasefires. I supported all of President Trump's initiatives. And he saw the reality: Putin just says one thing and then bombs. And he does not want the war to end.
"There is a decision to continue to help Ukraine. There is an understanding that it is important for the United States of America that Ukraine does not lose this war. And Putin is losing a large number of his military, sending them to their deaths," he said.
"All these understandings are important. This month, we have achieved a breakthrough in terms of defense systems. For Ukraine, the priority is the Patriot system. I am grateful for the positive signal from the White House, personally from the president, to support this. And regarding the sanctions package, you can see for yourself that everyone is moving forward."
Bipartisan legislation in the Senate would grant Trump authority to impose tariffs of up to 500% on countries aiding Russia, specifically naming China, India, and Brazil as key enablers of Putin's war machine.
"Analysts, financiers in the United States and Ukraine, as well as intelligence agencies that exchange information understand that the sanctions package that America is preparing will affect Putin's income and, therefore, ... the potential for peace on the part of Ukraine, the United States, and Europe because [Putin] will no longer be able to earn huge amounts of money for the war from energy, oil, gas, and other resources," he said.
"And in the end, he spends all this money on the military machine."
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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.
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