Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday that it was “painful” to see US President Donald Trump take a position he viewed as favouring Russia in the war against Ukraine, after Trump called for Zelensky to be replaced as president.
“It is painful when President Trump chooses a side, not our side,” Zelensky said in an interview, according to Reuters.
Zelensky added that he had no objection to Trump acting as a mediator between Ukraine and Russia, but stressed that the US president should remain neutral.
“If you are in the middle, you have to stay in the middle,” he said.
Asked whether he felt betrayed by Trump, who over the weekend called for Ukraine to have a new president after agreeing to lift sanctions on Russian oil exports, Zelensky replied: “Really, yes… but it is a little bit more complicated than just my emotions or my feelings.”
“It is a pity that we are losing a strong partner,” he added.
Zelensky also rejected the idea of making concessions that would compromise Ukraine’s sovereignty, saying the country’s future could not be treated as a commercial transaction.
“We will not sell our country… For us, it is not about business; it is about our lives, and this is our country,” he said.
The remarks underline growing tensions between Kyiv and Washington over the direction of US policy toward Russia and the terms of any potential settlement to the war.
