Zelensky calls his relationship with Trump “emotional,” urges Washington to pressure Putin rather than Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described his relationship with U.S. President Donald Trump as “emotional,” saying Washington should put greater pressure on Vladimir Putin rather than on Kyiv.

Asked by PBS NewsHour’s Amna Nawaz to characterize his relationship with Trump in a single word, Zelensky replied: “Emotional.”

He said the United States needed to remain pragmatic about the war and identify Russia as the aggressor, arguing that strengthening Ukraine would help prevent Putin from pushing further into Europe and NATO territory.

“Better to push stronger on Putin, not on me, not on me,” Zelensky said. “It’s not me who is aggressive. It’s not me.”

The Ukrainian president also expressed uncertainty about Elon Musk’s support for Ukraine after being asked whether the SpaceX founder wanted Kyiv to win the war.

“I don’t know, really, between us,” Zelensky said. He said he remained grateful for Starlink’s support early in the war but added that some of Musk’s previous signals toward Ukraine had not appeared “pro-Ukrainian.”

The comments followed questions about a slowdown affecting Starlink and Starshield services used by Ukraine. Zelensky said he was not certain Musk could have independently restricted the military Starshield system and suggested some involvement from U.S. government representatives may have been necessary.

He said he had sought further conversations with Musk following the SpaceX-related restrictions but had not been able to establish contact.

Zelensky also said he had repeatedly asked Trump to lift restrictions on Starshield so Ukrainian forces could locate and strike Russian ballistic missile launchers, describing such operations as defensive.