Zelenskyy Denies Trump's Claim Russia Wants Peace, Asserts He Knows Putin 'Much Better'

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy firmly rejected former U.S. President Donald Trump’s characterization of Russia’s intentions regarding peace in Ukraine during a high-profile interview on Sunday. Speaking with ABC News, Zelenskyy argued that the Russian leadership, under President Vladimir Putin, is not genuinely interested in ending the conflict, countering Trump’s recent remarks suggesting otherwise.

“With all due respect to President Trump, I think it’s just his personal opinion,” Zelenskyy stated. He emphasized, “Trust me, we understand the Russians much better, the mentality of the Russians, than the Americans understand the Russians. I know for sure Putin doesn’t want to stop the war.” Zelenskyy’s comments come as Ukraine continues to participate in ceasefire discussions, even as violence persists, including a recent drone strike that claimed five Ukrainian lives shortly after Putin threatened retaliation during a phone call with Trump.

Zelenskyy also rebuffed Trump’s analogy likening the Russia-Ukraine war to two children fighting in a park. “We are not playing in the park with the Russians like two boys, two kids. Putin is not a kid. So we can’t compare and we cannot say okay, let them fight for a while,” he argued. Zelenskyy recalled the anguish faced by Ukrainians who have lost family members to missile attacks, stressing the deadly seriousness of the conflict. “That’s why we are not kids at the playground. Putin is a murderer who came to the park to kill kids,” he declared, highlighting the destructive reality faced by civilians daily.

Trump had drawn criticism after employing the child-fighting analogy during a meeting with German Chancellor Friederich Merz at the White House last week. “Sometimes you see two young children fighting like crazy—they hate each other, and they’re fighting in a park, and you try and pull them apart, they don’t want to be pulled,” Trump said. “Sometimes you’re better off letting them fight for a while and then pulling them apart.” He asserted that he relayed this perspective directly to Putin during their recent call.

Despite these analogies and public statements, the actual peace process remains stalled. Ukraine and Russia have engaged in multiple rounds of negotiations, but progress has been limited, with both sides blaming each other for the lack of concrete outcomes. Meanwhile, violence continues to take a grim toll on Ukrainian civilians, underscoring the contentious nature of international commentary on the war's trajectory and prospects for peace.