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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told reporters on Tuesday that he believed President Donald Trump found his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, more irritating than him because of his dishonesty. The comments were in response to a journalist directly asking Zelensky at a press event who he thought the White House was more annoyed with, him or Putin, after a week in which Trump has published increasingly frustrated statements condemning Putin for expanding attacks on civilians in Ukraine, according to the state outlet Ukrinform. The news agency published the remarks on Wednesday. Trump campaigned throughout 2024 on the promise of helping end...

The German chancellor’s drive to keep a campaign pledge of more robust backing for Ukraine is running into blocks within his own government as he prepares to welcome Volodymyr Zelenskyy to Berlin.Friedrich Merz made a full-throated declaration on Monday, hours before Zelenskyy’s one-day visit was announced, that Germany was for the first time lifting previous range restrictions on weapons supplied to Kyiv, along with Ukraine’s other main western supporters.His statement – in an interview with a public broadcaster, which his team later posted to social media – was widely interpreted as a pivot toward bolstering Berlin’s aid to Kyiv at...

U.S. President Donald Trump, in remarks posted to his Truth Social account on May 26, accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of “causing problems” with every word he says and reignited criticism of Ukraine’s role in the war, echoing themes he has pushed since the 2024 campaign. “President Zelenskyy is doing his Country no favors by talking the way he does. Everything out of his mouth causes problems, I don’t like it, and it better stop,” Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social. He again asserted that Russia’s war against Ukraine would never have happened if he had been...

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday criticized the United States and the international community for remaining silent after Russia unleashed what Ukrainian officials describing as the largest aerial assault on the country since the war began. Russian forces launched a massive overnight barrage Saturday as 367 drones and missiles targeted more than 30 cities and villages across Ukraine, including the capital Kyiv. At least 12 people were killed, according to officials, including three children in the northern region of Zhytomyr.

Kyiv will not meet Vladimir Putin's request for Ukraine to withdraw troops from its four partially occupied regions, Volodymyr Zelensky has said. The Ukrainian leader said "it's our land," in a briefing to reporters on Monday, according to The Kyiv Independent on the day when the Russian president and U.S. President Donald Trump held a much-touted phone call. Yuriy Boyechko, CEO of humanitarian group Hope for Ukraine, told Newsweek Putin's ceasefire demands, which include Ukrainian forces leaving all of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, were "impossible to meet." Newsweek has contacted the Kremlin for comment. Why It Matters In...

Russian and US leaders Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump have discussed a direct contact between Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy among other topics, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, APA reports citing TASS. "Certainly, the parties touched upon the issue of direct contact and the topic of continuing consultations between Russia and Ukraine," he said when asked whether the leaders discussed any potential high-level talks. Peskov noted that communication between Moscow and Kyiv has been reestablished and is currently ongoing. "Russians and Ukrainians are now engaged in dialogue," he said. "These contacts have been revived, which is quite important at this...

In the surreal dance Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Vladimir Putin have been engaged in for months, both want Donald Trump to see the other as the obstacle to peace. For now, the Ukrainian leader is winning. The latest evidence comes from the peace talks in Istanbul that Trump had promoted ― the first direct negotiation between the two sides since the start of the war. Zelenskyy had the courtesy to show up while his Russian counterpart was a no-show, sending instead a relatively low-level delegation, described by Zelenskyy as merely “decorative.” Could this be the moment Trump finally concedes that Putin...

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy took the opportunity while in Rome for Pope Leo XIV's inaugural Mass to meet with top U.S. officials and European leaders on Sunday ahead of a high-stakes phone call Monday between President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine. Zelenskyy spoke with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the U.S. ambassador's residence in Rome. Zelenskyy said on social media he had underscored the need for "real diplomacy" and reaffirmed Ukraine's commitment to a "full and unconditional ceasefire." "We have also touched upon the need for sanctions...

Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Ukrainian President Vlodomyr Zelenskyy in Rome Sunday for ongoing peace talks as the war between Russia and Ukraine continues. "During our talks we discussed negotiations in Istanbul to where the Russians sent a low-level delegation of non-decision-makers. I reaffirmed that Ukraine is ready to be engaged in real diplomacy and underscored the importance of a full and unconditional ceasefire as soon as possible," Zelenskyy shared on X of the meeting. "We have also touched upon the need for sanctions against Russia, bilateral trade, defense cooperation, battlefield situation and...

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky met US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the sidelines of Pope Leo's inauguration on Sunday, a source in the Ukrainian delegation told Reuters. It was the first meeting between Zelensky and Vance since they clashed during talks at the White House in February over the future of the war in Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he met Pope Leo on Sunday following the new pontiff's inaugural Mass at the Vatican, adding that Kyiv was ready for talks in any format to get real results in ending the war with Russia. Zelensky said on the Telegram app that he was grateful to the Vatican for its readiness to host direct talks between Ukraine and Russia and "for its clear voice to defend just and lasting peace."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will attend the inaugural mass of newly elected Pope Leo on May 18, along with many other world leaders, the Vatican said. The mass in St Peter’s Square will formally install Pope Leo, who was born in Chicago but lived for many years in Peru, as the leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Roman Catholics. US Vice-President J.D. Vance, who clashed fiercely with Mr Zelensky in the White House in February, will lead the US delegation, which also includes Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

SNIPThe picture Zelenskyy presents of Donald Tusk (Poland), Zelenskyy, Emmanuel Macron (France), Keir Starmer (UK) and Friedrich Merz (Germany), represents his “coalition of the willing.” The group who has pledged to send troops to Ukraine as part of a peacekeeping coalition, as long as the USA military backstops their presence against Russia.If President Trump does not agree to position U.S. military as part of the coalition, then the “willingness” changes. Hence, Friedrich Merz says “we must maintain good relations with the United States.”SNIPIt’s all about the money! {BACKSTORY}For President Trump and Vladimir Putin to join in strategic interest is to...

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday urged allies to impose more sanctions on Moscow should Russia not agree to an unconditional ceasefire at ongoing talks in Istanbul, Turkey. "Our number one priority is a full, unconditional, and honest ceasefire. This must happen immediately to stop the killing and create a solid basis for diplomacy," said Zelensky, addressing fellow leaders at the European Political Community summit in Tirana. If the Russian representatives in Istanbul are not to agree to a ceasefire then "the world must respond," he said. "There needs to be a strong reaction, including sanctions Russia's energy sector and...

President Donald Trump on Thursday said he would skip Russia-Ukraine peace talks in Istanbul and downplayed Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision not to attend. Speaking in Doha, Trump said the Russia-Ukraine war "has to stop." The president lamented the lives lost and money spent on the war effort. "We spent $350 billion there – just handed. Nobody even knows where the money is. There’s no accounting. There’s no one. It’s just give him money," Trump said, referring to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. "I have to hand it to him. I think he’s the greatest salesman, maybe in history. Every time...

Zelensky, who had previously rejected a ceasefire proposed by Russia, says that "it is necessary to put pressure on the side that does not want to put an end to the war"MOSCOW, May 15. /TASS/. US President Donald Trump has exerted more pressure on Ukraine than on Russia, said Vladimir Zelensky at a briefing after talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. "From the very beginning, you saw the position of the United States, the position of President [Donald] Trump, and that was to put pressure on both sides. I think there was more pressure on us than on Russia....

@ZelenskyyUa Today we held several meetings with the team regarding the format in Türkiye. I am waiting to see who will come from Russia, and then I will decide which steps Ukraine should take. So far, the signals from them in the media are unconvincing. We also hear that President Trump is considering attending the meeting in Türkiye. That could become the strongest argument. This week really may change a lot — but only may. Everything is being decided right now. Russia is only prolonging the war and the killings. I want to thank every country, every leader who is...

Vladimir Zelensky claimed his decree was meant to prevent potential contacts between fugitive Ukrainian opposition activists and Russia’s authoritiesMOSCOW, May 13. /TASS/. Vladimir Zelensky has said that his decree banning talks with Russia does not apply to him. "Under the National Security and Defense Council’s resolution - and the constitution says the same, I am in charge of this mission and no one but me can engage in talks related to Ukraine’s sovereignty. No one but me can hold relevant talks with the Russian leader and leaders of other countries. This is my right and duty I haven’t banned myself...

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday that he will be waiting for Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Turkish capital this week to conduct face-to-face talks about the more than three-year war. -snip- Zelenskyy told reporters in Kyiv he will be in Ankara on Thursday to conduct the negotiations. He plans to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the two will wait for Putin to arrive, he said. Zelenskyy said if Putin chooses Istanbul to hold the meeting, then both leaders will travel there.

The Vatican and President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed on Monday that Pope Leo XIV had spoken with the Ukrainian head of state, offering support to find an end to the ongoing invasion of his country. Vatican News, the official news outlet of the Holy See, offered few details on the conversation, reinforcing Zelensky’s public comments on the matter. Zelensky published an image on social media of himself apparently taking the pontiff’s phone call, praising Pope Leo for a “very warm and truly substantive” conversation. “I thanked His Holiness for his support of Ukraine and all our people. We deeply value his...