Zelenskyy Urges Pressure on Russia as Trump’s Two-Week Deadline Expires
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Sunday that Ukraine expects strong support from the U.S., Europe and the G20 against Russia, as the two-week period set by U.S. President Donald Trump for Moscow to prepare for negotiations comes to an end.
The Gaze reports this, referring to Zelenskyy’s evening address.
Zelenskyy recalled that during Trump’s visit to Washington two weeks ago, Russia was told it had until now to be ready for meaningful talks at the level of national leaders.
“Ukraine is undoubtedly prepared for such a meeting,” Zelenskyy said. “But Russia continues to invest only in prolonging the war. All signals from them confirm this. Even now, during his visit to China, Putin is looking for ways to dodge responsibility – this has become his number one sport.”
The Ukrainian leader noted that calls for a ceasefire have come from across the world, including China, India, Turkey, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan, which are taking part in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit.
He also highlighted a statement earlier on Sunday by Pope Francis, who reiterated the urgent need to end the war.
“Russia is the only one that still wants this war. That is why we must keep up the pressure. We count on the strong position of the United States, Europe and the G20. This war only destabilizes global processes, and Russia must pay the price and it will,” Zelenskyy said.
Trump has said his administration is working to organize direct negotiations between Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin, expressing confidence that a trilateral meeting could take place.
Meanwhile, Russia has continued to escalate attacks. On August 28, a massive missile and drone strike on Kyiv killed 25 people and injured dozens more.
Two days later, Russian forces launched another large-scale assault on the Dnipropetrovsk region, damaging infrastructure.
On August 31, Moscow targeted Odesa region with drones, hitting energy facilities and leaving more than 29,000 households without power.
As The Gaze reported earlier, Trump warned of what he called an “economic war” against Russia if efforts to secure a peace deal with Putin and Zelenskyy fail.