Zelenskyy: I told Trump that Putin is a liar

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he does not believe in the alleged willingness of Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin to make "peace", and that he told US President Donald Trump this during their conversation on 12 February.

Zelenskyy pointed out  during a panel on Strategic Investment: The Future of US-Ukraine Security Cooperation at the Munich Security Conference that there are no risks for Trump in talking to Putin because he is stronger than Putin, but, he said, "I think [there are] risks for the whole world."

"Because... we have much more risks than risks for the United States. With all respect for all of us with all the big guys," he added.

Zelenskyy noted that he has already had several phone conversations with the US president, including a call on 12 February.

"He said to me: ‘I think Putin wants to resolve the war.’ I said to him that he is a liar, you can count on it. I hope you will pressure him, because I don't trust him," Zelenskyy recounted.

Zelenskyy recalled that he agreed on a "truce" with the Kremlin dictator when he was elected in 2019, and that the agreements were never implemented.

"What is very important is not to make any decisions about Ukraine without Ukraine. This is a principled position…. I am speaking about all our people, our nation," Zelenskyy stressed.

On the evening of 12 February, Donald Trump spoke with the Kremlin leader and announced that they plan to meet. Following that, Trump called Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

According to the Axios news website, at the end of the call, Trump gave Zelenskyy his personal number and said he could call him directly.

Zelenskyy has declared that if the US and Russia negotiate an end to the war without Ukraine’s participation, Ukraine will not accept such an agreement.