Zelensky criticises Trump for publicly displaying good relations with Putin

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky criticised his American counterpart Donald Trump for failing to condemn Russian aggression and for publicly displaying good relations with Volodymyr Putin.

The illusion of no pressure

According to the Ukrainian leader, when the US president shows in the media that he has excellent ties with Putin, the Russian leader concludes that the situation is stable for him. The absence of clear signals from Washington is interpreted by Moscow as a sign that everything is fine for him.

«На публіці Трамп показує свої добрі відносини з Путіним. Якщо він демонструє, що в нього прекрасні зв’язки з Путіним, і Путін бачить це в ЗМІ, то приходить до висновку, що все гаразд. Ніякого тиску немає. Відсутність чітких сигналів з боку Сполучених Штатів означає, що в нього все добре. Ми рідко чуємо (від Трампа — Ред.) засудження агресії», — заявив Зеленський. (In public, Trump shows his good relations with Putin. If he demonstrates that he has wonderful ties with Putin, and Putin sees this in the media, he concludes that everything is okay. There is no pressure. The absence of clear signals from the United States means that everything is fine for him. We rarely hear (from Trump — Ed.) condemnation of aggression.)

The Ukrainian head of state emphasised that it is precisely this behaviour that allows the Russian leader to feel more confident, as he is not receiving pressure from the US.