Source: interview with Zelensky on Fox News, Reuters
Direct quote from Zelensky: "I don't think we did anything wrong. With all due respect to democracy and the media, I think it's essential to understand Ukraine's position."
Details: When asked if Zelensky regrets what happened, he replied: "I believe it was a bad situation. I'm always open to the media, but this should have happened behind closed doors. I want our partners to understand us correctly."
The president also expressed his gratitude to the Americans and Trump for all their support, but he believes that "we should be on the same side."
In response to the question of whether Trump was too close to Putin, as some Democrats claim, Zelensky stated: "We talked about that."
Zelensky noted that Trump mentioned wanting to be in the middle, but "I want him to be more on our side."
A journalist also asked Zelensky if he thinks the spat was planned, to which he responded that it was "a very complicated situation" and he did not want to lose the support of partners in the U.S.
What preceded:
- The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, left the White House early on Friday after a quarrel with Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance.
- In response, Donald Trump stated that the Ukrainian president "disregarded" the United States and that Vladimir Zelensky is "not ready for peace."
- European leaders, as well as EU officials, have meanwhile publicly supported Ukraine.
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Italy will soon propose to partners an immediate summit involving the United States, European countries, and allies to discuss challenges, "starting with Ukraine, which we have defended together in recent years."
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During a conversation with journalists near the White House, Trump stated that for negotiations to resume, Zelensky must say he wants peace.