Ukrainian president Voldymyr Zelenskyy said that he is “not happy” US President Donald Trump spoke with Vladimir Putin before him and cautioned that if the first meeting is with Moscow than with Kyiv then it would be even “more dangerous.”
“I’m not happy… I think it’s more dangerous if [the] first meeting is with Putin and then with Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said after discussions between Putin and Trump sparked concerns in Kyiv about potential exclusion from negotiations, alongside the White House’s diminished enthusiasm for Ukraine’s NATO aspirations, CNN reported.
In a robust speech at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday, Zelenskyy warned that the era of guaranteed American backing for Europe has concluded, advocating for European nations to unite in forming a collective military force and diplomatic strategy.
“A few days ago, President Trump told me about his conversation with Putin. Not once did he mention that America needs Europe at that table. That says a lot,” Zelensky said. He emphasised that the traditional pattern of American support for Europe had ended.
Zelensky informed CNN that Trump had not guaranteed a prior meeting with him. Nevertheless, the US president recognised the necessity for an urgent discussion about specific strategies to conclude the conflict.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov described Trump’s phone call with Putin as “appealing,” while former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev declared it a significant moment in global politics.
Russian news agencies took the opportunity to suggest that Trump’s willingness to engage Putin directly marked a shift away from Ukraine’s central role in peace talks, a development that Ukrainian officials are alarmed by.
