Zelenskyy: Trump now ‘closer’ to Ukraine, can be game changer in war with Russia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday that US President Donald Trump now has a “much deeper understanding” of the realities of the war in Ukraine and could be a “game changer” in efforts to end the conflict with Russia.

Zelenskyy told reporters after his meeting with Trump in New York that the US president had previously relied on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s assessments of the war but now trusts Ukrainian intelligence and battlefield reports.

“One by one, he understood that Putin is just sharing some information which is far from the real situation. Now he trusts much more to me,” he said.

Zelenskyy welcomed Trump’s call to stop importing Russian energy, saying Ukraine had long warned European nations about dependence on Moscow.

He noted Slovakia was moving toward alternatives, while criticizing Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban for refusing to shift from Russian supplies. “All of Hungary can’t pay for the mistake of one person,” he said.

He underlined that Ukraine has retaken about 360 kilometers (224 miles) of territory since September and warned that Russia continues to test NATO’s defenses with drone strikes and cyberattacks.

“Trump agreed with me that Putin will not wait for the end of the war in Ukraine. He will try to find weak places in Europe, in NATO countries,” said Zelenskyy.

On possible guarantees, Zelenskyy said Trump expressed a readiness to provide security assurances once the war ends, though details remain under discussion.

He pointed to the importance of US-provided air defense systems to counter Russian missile strikes.

He also welcomed a planned meeting between Ukraine’s first lady Olena Zelenska and US first lady Melania Trump as “a very good step forward.”

Zelenskyy stressed that China has shown no interest in helping end the war.

“For today, I see that Trump is a game changer,” he said, adding that Chinese President Xi Jinping “can also have influence on Russia” but has so far declined to use it.