Zelensky says U.S. cannot side with Putin while acting as mediator in Ukraine war

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the United States cannot side with Russian President Vladimir Putin while presenting itself as a mediator in the war, arguing that mediation should not require neutrality over who started the conflict.

“With all due respect to mediation, of course, to mediate you need to be in the middle,” Zelensky said in an interview with The Sun. “But you cannot be in the middle in your attitude toward this war, because everything is clear about who the aggressor is.”

“The United States cannot be on Putin’s side because he is the aggressor,” he said. “The United States and its president cannot be on the side of an aggressor, no matter which country we are speaking about, because they are leaders of democracy.”

Zelensky also criticized President Donald Trump’s public display of a close relationship with Putin, saying it risks convincing the Russian leader that Washington is applying little pressure.

“If he demonstrates great relations with Putin, and Putin sees that in the media, Putin will say that everything is okay,” Zelensky said. “There is no pressure.”

He added that Kyiv needs stronger and more frequent U.S. condemnation of Russia’s actions.

Zelensky also questioned Putin’s judgment, saying: “I don’t know what is wrong with Putin. Is he absolutely crazy, half crazy, or 10% crazy? I hope he understands what he is doing.”

Turning to Britain, Zelensky urged London to rebuild military capacity if it does not believe Russia can be trusted, saying the UK is unlikely to have friendly relations with Moscow in the coming years.

“Can the United Kingdom trust Russia? If not, then 100%, you need to build your military and tactical facilities and rebuild many things that the UK once had,” he said.