Zelensky Concerned About Influence of Russian Disinformation on Trump's Circle – Time

This is reported in an article published in Time magazine, in which Zelensky gave an interview, Ukrinform reports.

Trump had a phone call with Putin, who told him that thousands of Ukrainian soldiers in Kursk were surrounded by Russian troops. “That’s not true,” Zelensky said. Yet Trump continued to stand by the story, as journalist Simon Schuster noted.

Zelensky stressed that American officials began to trust Putin even when their own intelligence contradicted his words, the journalist added.

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“I believe that Russia was able to influence part of the White House team through information,” Shuster quotes Zelensky as saying. “Their message to the Americans was that the Ukrainians do not want to end the war, and steps need to be taken to force them to do so.”

Zelensky noted that Ukrainians perceive America as an ally. “But at that moment, the impression was that we were not allies or did not take an allied position,” Zelensky said. “In that conversation, I defended the dignity of Ukraine.”

To Zelensky’s dismay, Trump has made some concessions without getting anything in return. He has dropped Ukraine’s bid to join NATO. He has even suggested that he would welcome Russia back into the G7, the club of the world’s richest democracies.

Permitting such a move, Zelensky said, would reverse the only concrete punishment Putin has suffered for invading Ukraine: his isolation. “This is a big compromise,” Zelensky said. “Imagine freeing Hitler from his isolation.”

Still, Zelensky still hopes Trump will understand that Putin is weaker than he appears, that he cannot be trusted, and that a Russian victory in this war would be a disaster not only for Ukraine. It would be a loss, Zelensky said, for the entire West, and especially for the United States and its current leaders. Trump and his team will not accept such a loss, Zelensky added.

“They have their own ambitions. They see their role in history,” not only as powerful leaders but also as those who can ensure a dignified end to the war. “That's why I don't believe in these apocalyptic scenarios,” Zelensky said.

Photo: White House.