US President Donald Trump has said that Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy is “doing quite well” in the war with Russia.
“He’s doing quite well, no matter how you look at it; at least he’s holding his own. Many people are dying on both sides, but I think he’s doing all right,” Trump said at the White House on 24 June during a meeting with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, whilst answering questions from journalists.
“I must say, he’s brave, he’s got excellent equipment, and he’s got wonderful people – he’s got fighters,” added Trump, who earlier this year said that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had ‘no cards’ to play, meaning he was in a weak position in the standoff with Russia.
The US and Ukrainian presidents recently met during the G7 summit in France, where the leaders agreed to step up pressure on Russia to end the war against Ukraine.
Immediately afterwards, several media outlets, citing sources, reported on a shift in Donald Trump’s stance regarding Russia’s war in Ukraine. According to the Financial Times and the Kyiv Independent, in particular, Trump – partly impressed by Ukraine’s recent successes – has become more open to increasing pressure on Russia and even, it is claimed, urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to act more decisively during a conversation with him.
The White House has not officially confirmed that Trump urged Zelenskyy to take more active measures, but stated that the president is a “believer in peace through strength”.
It was previously reported that at the G7 summit, Zelenskyy showed Trump photographs of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, which had been damaged by a Russian strike, and that this made a great impression on the US president.
A joint statement by the leaders of the ‘Group of Seven’, signed by Trump, expresses support for Ukraine and a readiness to step up pressure on Russia. Last year, Trump did not sign such a statement. The US President himself stated that Russia “should reach an agreement”, whilst Washington’s representative to the UN recently noted that “time is not on Russia’s side”.
Washington has not yet announced any practical decisions, including new sanctions, arms supplies or issues regarding licences for the production of air defence systems in Ukraine.
In Moscow, on the one hand, officials claim that a certain shift in the US position was evident at the G7 summit; on the other hand, according to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, media reports that Trump allegedly gave the green light to Kyiv to step up military operations against Russia are “an attempt to pass off wishful thinking as reality”. Speaking in Moscow yesterday, Lavrov once again rejected the idea of a freeze along the front line and a ceasefire to allow for negotiations.