Zelensky cautions Trump that Putin is "bluffing"

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Wednesday that he had warned US President Donald Trump ahead of Trump’s meeting with Vladimir Putin this week that the Russian leader is “bluffing” about wanting to end the war, Arab News reported.

Trump and Putin are set to meet in Alaska on Friday, sparking concerns in Kyiv and among its allies that the two leaders might attempt to impose a peace deal in the 3½-year conflict. “I told the US president and all our European partners that Putin is bluffing,” Zelensky said during a joint press conference in Berlin with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

“He is ramping up pressure ahead of the Alaska meeting along all sectors of the Ukrainian front. Russia wants to project that it can seize the whole of Ukraine,” he added.

His remarks followed a virtual call with Trump and European leaders, as Russian forces intensified their offensive in eastern Ukraine in a bid to push Kyiv into ceding territory. Zelensky said he hoped the Alaska talks would focus on securing an immediate ceasefire and stressed that any territorial discussions should take place in a trilateral meeting involving Ukraine.

“On matters of principle and territorial integrity, these decisions must ultimately be made by leaders,” he said. “Without Ukraine, no such decision is possible — and everyone supports this.”

According to Zelensky, Trump assured him he would brief him on the outcome of his talks with Putin.