Tag: Volodymyr Zelenskyy

Trump Halts Planned Putin Summit, Cites Ongoing War Developments

U.S. President Donald Trump has suspended plans to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Budapest, saying he did not want to hold a “wasted” summit amid continuing uncertainty over the Ukraine war.

The decision came just days after Trump announced the meeting, which was expected to take place within two weeks following what he described as a “productive” phone call with Putin about ending the conflict.

Speaking to reporters at the White House on Tuesday, Trump said the planned talks were on hold. “I don’t want to have a wasted meeting. I don’t want to have a waste of time, so I’ll see what happens,” he said. He added that “a lot of things are happening on the war front,” and further announcements would come “in the next two days.”

A White House official later confirmed that “there are no plans for President Trump to meet with President Putin in the immediate future,” despite the earlier announcement of a Budapest summit.

The move followed tense discussions in Washington last Friday between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. According to a senior Ukrainian official, Trump pressured Zelensky to cede the eastern Donbas region to Russia in exchange for peace — a proposal Ukraine has repeatedly rejected.

The talks reportedly ended without progress after Trump refused Zelensky’s request for long-range Tomahawk missiles and instead urged him to accept a ceasefire along current battle lines.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also canceled a scheduled meeting meant to prepare for the summit, the White House said.

The Kremlin confirmed there was no “precise” date for a future Trump-Putin meeting, noting that their last encounter in Alaska in August ended without a breakthrough.

European leaders, including France’s Emmanuel Macron, Italy’s Giorgia Meloni, and Britain’s Keir Starmer, issued a joint statement rejecting any deal that would see Ukraine give up territory. They expressed support for an immediate halt to fighting along current front lines but warned that “Russia is not serious about peace.”

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022 and has since left tens of thousands dead, with Moscow occupying roughly one-fifth of Ukraine’s territory, much of it devastated by the war.

22/10/2025
Trump Considers Sending Tomahawk Missiles To Ukraine

US President Donald Trump has indicated he is considering providing long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine, a potential escalation in the ongoing conflict with Russia. Speaking to reporters on Air Force One on Sunday, Trump said the decision was not final: “We’ll see… I may.”

The comments followed a weekend phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who urged stronger military capabilities to support counter-attacks against Russian forces. Trump suggested he might discuss the matter with Russia before making a final decision. “I might tell them [Russia] that if the war is not settled, we may very well, we may not, but we may do it,” he said.

Tomahawk missiles have a range of approximately 2,500 kilometers (1,500 miles), which would place Moscow within reach. Trump added, “Do they [Russia] want Tomahawks going in their direction? I don’t think so.”

The Kremlin has voiced strong concern over the potential delivery of such weapons. On Sunday, spokesman Dmitry Peskov described the prospect as of “extreme concern” and warned that escalating tensions could have serious consequences. Peskov noted that Russia would not be able to determine whether any launched missiles carried nuclear warheads.

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev echoed Peskov’s warning, posting on social media that the delivery of long-range missiles “could end badly for everyone. And first of all – for Trump himself.” Medvedev has increasingly taken a hawkish stance online, often expressing views more extreme than official Kremlin positions.

Ukraine has repeatedly requested long-range missiles since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022. Kyiv argues the weapons are necessary to target Russian positions far from front-line combat, particularly as Russian drone and missile attacks intensify against Ukrainian cities and critical energy infrastructure.

Last month, Trump’s special envoy to Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, suggested the president had authorized strikes deep into Russian territory, stating, “there are no such things as sanctuaries” from attacks in the conflict.

The discussions between Trump and Zelensky also covered broader efforts to strengthen Ukraine’s air defences and military capabilities ahead of winter, when Russian strikes have historically targeted civilian infrastructure to disrupt power and energy supplies.

The potential provision of Tomahawk missiles underscores the high stakes of U.S. involvement in Ukraine and the delicate balance of managing relations with Moscow amid an ongoing and escalating war.

13/10/2025
Pope Francis meets with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy

This image made available by Vatican News shows Pope Francis meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a private audience at The Vatican, Saturday, May 13, 2023. Francis recently said that the Vatican has launched a behind-the-scenes initiative to try to end the war launched last year by Russia. (Vatican News via AP)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky meets with Pope Francis at The Vatican on May 13. Vatican News/AP

Vatican’s leader, Pope Francis met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday May 13, at the Vatican.

Zelenskyy’s visit – a rare meeting between a pontiff and a head of state during war, comes two weeks after the pope told reporters that he is engaged in a secret mission to end Russia’s war against Ukraine.

Zelenskyy has made regular appeals for the pope to visit the war-torn country, since the start of the war on February 24, 2022.

The pope has said he will visit Kyiv but only if he could travel to Moscow, as well, to make an appeal for peace.

Upon his arrival at the Vatican, Zelenskyy greeted the Pope at the door of the Vatican’s Pope Paul VI Hall, rather than the Apostolic Palace, which is traditionally used for meetings with heads of state.

“Thank you for this visit,” the pope said to Zelenskyy in Italian. “A great honor,” Zelenskyy replied in English, placing his hand over his heart.

The pope and the president met for 40 minutes behind closed doors, with Zelenskyy giving the pope a bullet-dented plate and a poster in the style of an icon titled “Loss.” The image memorialized the lives of children who died in the early days of the conflict.

In a tweet, Zelenskyy emphasized that he asked the pope to condemn Russian war crimes, writing that “there can be no equality between the victim and the aggressor.”

He also said that he asked the Vatican to back Ukraine’s peace formula, which includes the withdrawal of Russian forces from the country, a restoration of all of Ukraine’s sovereign territory, Russian war reparations and postwar security guarantees for Ukraine.

Zelenskyy’s visit to the Vatican is his second since being elected president of Ukraine in 2019. His last visit took place on Feb. 8, 2020, just prior to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

14/05/2023
Ukraine President invites Tinubu for state-visit

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine, has invited Sen. Bola Tinubu, the President-elect for a state-visit to Ukraine after his official inauguration on May 29.

Mr Tunde Rahman, the media officer of the President-elect said this in a statement on Thursday in Abuja.

Rahman said that the invitation was part of a congratulatory letter by Zelenskyy to Tinubu over his election victory.

He said that the Ukrainian leader in the letter expressed gladness at the peaceful conduct of 2023 General Elections.

“Please accept my sincere congratulations on your election as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.Despite extremely difficult testing times caused by the full-scale armed aggression of Russia against our state.

“Ukraine is determined to further strengthen cooperation with Nigeria at the bilateral level and within the framework of international organisations,” he said.

He said that Ukraine was grateful for Nigeria’s support of the Resolution of the General Assembly of the United Nations Organisation, Principles of the UN Charter underlying a comprehensive, just and sustainable peace in the country.

Zelenskyy added that his country was counting on the active participation of Nigeria in the practical implementation of the resolution.

“We see the further provision of global food security, of which Ukraine was and remains a reliable guarantor at the global level, as an important direction of cooperation,” he said.

He added that the fulfillment of the task would be facilitated by the successful implementation of the Ukrainian initiative:Grain from Ukraine.

This, he said, was designed to significantly increase the supply of grain to African countries in order to prevent famine.

“Taking this opportunity, I invite you to pay an official visit to Ukraine at a time convenient for you.

‘I am confident that your visit will strengthen the dialogue between our countries and contribute to the further consolidation of joint efforts of the international community aimed at solving the urgent challenges of today.

“In particular, the crisis situation caused by Russia regarding the guarantee of world food security,” he said.

20/04/2023
Ukraine President Zelensky appoints Oby Ezekwesili as ambassador

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has appointed former Nigerian minister, Mrs Obiageli Ezekwesili, as an ambassador of ‘Grain from Ukraine.’

The programme is an initiative of the Ukrainian government to assist countries suffering from severe food shortages relative to the war with Russia.

Head Office of the President of Ukraine, Andriy Yermak, disclosed that Ezekwesili and her colleagues are joining international experts and leaders to support the initiative. Since the initiative’s launch in November 2022, more than 30 donor countries have signed up.

Yermak added, “We see the prospect of expanding the project. To do this, we need reliable partners with knowledge and extensive connections.

Ezekwesili, on her Facebook page (Oby Ezekwesili), gave a reaction over her new appointment where she wrote, “I am delighted to accept the invitation of President @Zelenskyy to be one of 3 leading African experts recently named as Ambassadors of the “Grain from Ukraine” initiative. “Glad to be joining @DrJoyceBanda and @ChrisFomunyoh on this crucial program to stem food insecurity.”

28/01/2023
Zelensky warns of more Russian attacks before 2023

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned the people of his country of further Russian attacks in the few remaining days of 2022.

“We must be aware that our enemy will try to make this time dark and difficult for us,” he said in his daily video address on Sunday evening.

He said Russia had lost everything it could lose this year, adding: “But it is trying to compensate for its losses with the cunning of its propagandists, after the missile attacks on our country, on our energy sector.

“I know that darkness will not prevent us from leading the occupiers to their new defeats.

“But we must be prepared for any scenario,” he continued.

Zelensky directed sharp words at the Russian military, which killed at least 16 people and wounded another 64 with artillery attacks in Kherson in the south of the country on Saturday.

“Brutes,” he said. “We will find every murderer.”

Russia announced in the autumn that it was annexing Kherson, before Ukrainian forces retook the city as Russian troops retreated to the other side of the Dnipro river.

From there they have bombarded the city with artillery, according to Ukrainian sources.

Russian officers were injured after an attack on a Russian command post in the Kherson region, according to the Ukrainian armed forces on Sunday.

It was unclear how many had died but at least 70 officers were injured after Kiev’s forces attacked during a meeting in the village of Zabaryne, the army said on Sunday.

Ukrainian fighters have attacked Russian command centres and command posts repeatedly since the start of the invasion, locating them by monitoring radio traffic or the mobile phone network.

Several senior Russian officers have died in similar attacks.

Volodymyr Saldo, the governor of the region appointed by Russia, rejected the Ukrainian allegations, insisting that it was Ukrainian forces who were bombarding the city and accusing them of terrorism.

“This is repulsive provocation with the apparent aim of attributing blame to the Russian forces,” he said.

He insisted that the nature of the destruction indicated artillery fire from Ukrainian-held territory to the north and north-west of the city.

The Kremlin insists that the entire Kherson region is Russian territory and will not be surrendered.

Meanwhile as Moscow’s forces seek to overpower the southern region, they are also battling for control of eastern Ukraine, with heavy clashes over the town of Bakhmut.

However, Kiev’s fighters inflicted “heavy losses” on the invaders there, according to a Ukrainian military spokesperson.

At least 50 Russian soldiers have been killed and another 80 wounded since Saturday alone, according to Serhii Chervatko, spokesperson for the Ukrainian Army Group East.

The figures could not be independently verified.

Bakhmut is seen as a critical point along the front in eastern Ukraine, as any breakthrough here would allow Russian troops to advance deep behind Ukrainian lines. Ukrainian fighters have transformed the town into a fortress in their attempts to defend it.

The head of administration of the Luhansk region, Serhii Haidai, said that alongside regular Russian troops, Wagner mercenaries and Chechen fighters sent by the republic’s leader Ramzan Kadyrov had failed in their attacks on Bakhmut.

“They want to show the bunker grandpa (Russian President Vladimir Putin) what they can do,” he said on Telegram, adding: “But so far they are only losing thousands of soldiers who will remain there forever.”

In spite of Putin’s repeated hints at his willingness to talk in the Ukraine war, Kiev thinks nothing of the Russian president’s words.

“Russia does not want negotiations and is trying to evade responsibility (for the War).

“This is obvious, so we are moving towards a tribunal,” Mykhailo Podolyak, adviser to Zelensky, tweeted on Sunday.

Kiev thinks that Russia’s political and military leadership should stand trial for the war before an international tribunal modelled on the Nuremberg trials of the Nazis in World War II.

“Russia alone attacked Ukraine and is killing its citizens,” Podolyak further wrote. There are no other “sides, motives or geopolitics,” he added.

26/12/2022
Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy named Time’s 2022 Person of the Year

44-year-old Ukranian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the spirit of Ukraine have been named Time’s 2022 Person of the Year.

Zelenskyy has been called a hero by many in his country and abroad, and over the last year, established himself as a symbol of defiance and democracy while he continues to lead the nation through Russia’s unprovoked attacks on Ukraine.

Time Editor-in-Chief Edward Felsenthal announced the magazine’s choice exclusively Wednesday, Dec. 7, saying that Zelenskyy has kept the world’s attention on Ukraine.

“Whether one looks at this story of Ukraine with a sense of hope or a sense of fear, and the story is, of course, not fully written yet … Zelenskyy has really galvanized the world in a way we haven’t seen in decades,” Felsenthal said.

In an essay revealing Zelenskyy as 2022 Person of the Year, Time reporter Simon Shuster wrote: “Zelenskyy’s success as a wartime leader has relied on the fact that courage is contagious. It spread through Ukraine’s political leadership in the first days of the invasion, as everyone realized the President had stuck around.”

Russian forces invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, and Zelenskyy refused to leave Kyiv, instead staying on the ground and supporting the people of his country. “The fight is here; I need ammunition, not a ride,” Zelenskyy told the U.S., according to a tweet shared by the Ukrainian embassy of Britain on Feb. 26.

The war in Ukraine has continued for nearly 10 months with no end in sight. Zelenskyy has made risky visits to support Ukrainian soldiers and the country at large, including a trip to the frontlines of the Donbas region in June, and celebrating with residents of the city of Kherson after Russian troops withdrew in November.

Zelenskyy told the magazine that his security was against his visit to Kherson because of the poor shape the Russians left the city in, as well as the possibility that they left behind agents and saboteurs who could harm him. But the answer as to why he did it was simple: “It’s the people.”

After visiting the liberated city of Kherson, Zelenskyy in his private carriage as he heads back to Kyiv.Photograph by Maxim Dondyuk for TIME
“My security was 100% against it,” Zelenskyy told Time during the trip to Kherson. “They took it hard. They can’t control practically anything in a region that has just been de-occupied. So it’s a big risk, and, on my part, a bit reckless.”

But Zelenskyy’s willingness to stay has inspired Ukrainians to take up arms in the fight against Russia.

“Zelenskyy gives me confidence,” a 35-year-old woman identified as Natasha in Ukraine told TODAY. “For me, Zelenskyy is the real fighter of democracy worldwide and for the peaceful future of our children and our world.”

07/12/2022