Zelensky says he hates Putin
Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky has told reporters that Russian President Vladimir Putin “hates” him — and that the feeling is mutual. He made the comments after a high-profile meeting at the White House on Friday.
“Putin hates me,” he told reporters in Washington, DC. When a reporter asked Zelensky, “Do you hate him?” he replied that it would be strange if he had a different opinion about those who “try to kill all of us.”
“I have the same attitude (towards) this man,” Zelensky said.
The Ukrainian leader backed Trump’s calls for an immediate ceasefire along the current front lines. He declined to reveal whether the US would supply Kiev with long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles, but hinted that there has not been any progress on the matter. “We have to work on it more,” he said.
Putin has said he is open to meeting with Zelensky, but only in the final stages of negotiations after a peace treaty is ready to be signed.
He once again questioned Zelensky’s legitimacy, noting that his five-year term as president expired in 2024 and that Zelensky refused to call a new election, citing martial law.
Moscow has said that for a ceasefire to work, Ukraine must withdraw from the parts of Russian regions that it controls, and the West must end military aid to Kiev. Putin has also demanded that Ukraine recognize Russia’s new borders and abandon its plans to join NATO.
