Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that recent talks in Saudi Arabia between American and Russian officials helped Vladimir Putin emerge from years of political isolation.
The Ukrainian leader said this during a press conference on Wednesday, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.
“The fact that they are discussing their bilateral issues in Saudi Arabia – I have said it before, this is their right. However, I believe that the United States has helped Putin get out of his many years of isolation,” Zelensky was quoted as saying.
He also stressed that Russia is increasingly being portrayed as a “victim” in this war.
“The narrative that 90% of all aid comes from the United States. […] We understand that the truth is a little different, although of course, we are grateful for the support. But I would like to see more truth from the Trump team. Because all this is not in the interest of Ukraine – it is helping to get Putin out of isolation. I think Putin and the Russians are quite pleased that yesterday they were already being treated as ‘victims’. This is something new,” Zelensky said.
He also found it disturbing that the term “conflict” was used to describe Russia’s war against Ukraine.
“If Secretary of State (Marco) Rubio officially refers to this as a ‘conflict’ – that’s what I’ve been told (this information) needs verification – then that’s a softening of their position,” Zelensky said.
He added that this is not the first time he has had to explain to American politicians that what is happening between Ukraine and Russia is a war, not just a conflict.
Otherwise, on February 18, American and Russian delegations met in Saudi Arabia for negotiations.
The American delegation included Secretary of State Marco Rubio; National Security Advisor Mike Waltz; and US Special Envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff.
Russia was represented by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov; Putin’s aide Yuri Ushakov; and the head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, Kirill Dmitriev.
President Zelensky also stated that Putin fears direct negotiations with Ukraine, seeing them as a sign of weakness and defeat.
On February 17, he stressed that Ukraine would not recognize any results of the Saudi talks if it was not included in the discussions. /DLYnews/
