Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed skepticism on Tuesday following calls on a potential ceasefire with Russia, with US President Donald Trump and other European leaders. Voicing his uncertainty, he said, “This is a defining time. Now the world can see whether its leaders have the capacity to ensure an end to war and the establishment of real, lasting peace.” He informed about the high-level discussions with world leaders regarding Russia’s intentions through an X post.
He wrote, “Spoke with US President Donald Trump twice today. First, we called separately before his conversation with the Russian leader, and then spoke with President Trump together with European leaders: Emmanuel Macron, Giorgia Meloni, Friedrich Merz, Alexander Stubb, and Ursula von der Leyen.” Meanwhile, he reiterated Ukraine’s openness to a full and unconditional ceasefire, stating, “I confirmed to President Trump that we in Ukraine are ready for a complete and unconditional ceasefire, as the US in particular, has been talking about. It is important not to water down this offer.”
I spoke with @POTUS twice today. First, we had a one-on-one call before his conversation with the head of Russia, and later we spoke together with President Trump and European leaders President @EmmanuelMacron, Prime Minister @GiorgiaMeloni, Federal Chancellor @bundeskanzler,… pic.twitter.com/mm6a0Pro84
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) May 19, 2025
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Zelensky further highlighted the trust gap that remains between Russia and Ukraine, despite the country’s readiness to engage in peace talks. He noted, “I also confirmed once again that Ukraine is ready for direct negotiations with Russia in any format that will yield results. Turkey, the Vatican, Switzerland – we are considering all possible venues. Ukraine does not need to be convinced of this, and our representatives are ready to make real decisions in the negotiations. We must ensure that Russia is mirror-ready for such productive negotiations.”
The Ukrainian President’s statements seemed to be fueled by Russia’s past behavior. He expressed caution, stating, “If Russia does not stop the killings, if it does not release prisoners and hostages, if Putin puts forward unrealistic conditions, then this will mean that Russia continues to drag out the war and deserves that Europe, America and the whole world behave accordingly, including responding with additional sanctions. Russia must end the war that it started, and it can do so any day. Ukraine is always ready for peace.”
On the other hand, US President Donald Trump on Monday announced that ‘some progress has been made’ in the prospects of a ceasefire negotiation between Russia and Ukraine. The significant development comes after Trump held a ‘two-and-a-half-hour’ call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday. While Trump expressed optimism about efforts to end the ongoing conflict between the two countries, Putin said, “We just need to determine the most effective ways to move towards peace.”
