Ukraine is cautioning that Vladimir Putin’s statements about desiring peace are not genuine and he is planning a severe new attack in May. The Ukrainian government believes that the Russian leader is pretending and will initiate a brutal offensive soon. Putin recently commended former US President Donald Trump following historic peace discussions.
Trump, however, has not been supportive of Ukraine and has previously implied that the country was responsible for the ongoing conflict. He criticized Ukrainian President Zelensky, referring to him as a “dictator” and a “moderately successful” comedian on the social media platform Truth Social.
Following Trump’s comments, Putin lauded his friend from the Republican Party for adjusting his stance after being exposed to accurate information. This praise came shortly after Zelensky accused Trump of being influenced by false narratives created by the Russians.
The tyrant said he welcomed Tuesday’s talks between Russian and US officials in Saudi Arabia, dubbing them the “first step” to restore relations with Washington.
Speaking from a drone factory in Saint Petersburg, smug Vlad said: “I was briefed [on the talks]. I rate them highly, there is a result.
“In my opinion, we made the first step to restore work in various areas of mutual interests.”
He added that ensuring there’s a resolution to the conflict is a top priority for Russia, but explained that his country has to build trust with the US to achieve this.
In Kyiv, Deputy Minister of Defence Serhii Boiev hit back at Donald Trump’s claim that European troops in Kyiv will spark World War Three.
He warned that without the presence of British or European allies, Putin will pretend to agree to a ceasefire while secretly “firing on all cylinders in recruiting and training”.
The silver-haired top minister added that without a fresh pledge of military support from Trump, in three months time the army will experience a critical dip in weapons supplies.
In a secret briefing room, Mr Boiev told The Sun that Sir Keir Starmer was completely right to pledge “British boots on the ground” in Ukraine.
The Prime Minister made a rallying cry to Europe urging leaders to “step up” and deploy peacekeeping troops to Ukraine.
The PM vowed the UK will “do our bit” to try and enforce a peace deal.
All we know from day one of the peace talks
Mr Boiev said: “If Ukraine doesn’t go to Nato then Nato needs to go to Ukraine.
“We want European forces to be here to ensure a sustainable peace.
“The security guarantees that come out of this war are essential including the contingency of allies on the ground.”
Despite Trump revealing to reporters that he will “probably” meet with pal mad Vlad before the end of the month, the Russian tyrant said he wasn’t ready to confirm when talks may take place.
Putin made it clear however that he would be “happy to meet him today,” which is “evident from the nature of our telephone conversation”.
The dictator also shared that Trump was starting to receive “objective information”, without elaborating.
He added: “We will be ready to return to the negotiating table”.
Zelensky accused Moscow of misleading Trump in a press conference earlier – which the US President has since responded to in a tirade on his social media platform, Truth Social.
The Ukrainian president said this afternoon: “Unfortunately, President Trump, who we have great respect for as leader of the American people … lives in this disinformation space.”
Speaking right after the US and Russian foreign ministers held talks in Saudi Arabia, Zelensky continued: “We want security guarantees this year because we want to end the war this year.”
The Ukrainian president also said the costs of the war in Ukraine so far sits at $320 billion, with $120 billion paid by Ukraine and the rest from the US and Europe – but Trump disputes the numbers.
The US President has previously stressed that the US wants the equivalent of $500 billion worth of rare earth minerals from Ukraine in exchange for support.
But Zelensky said the American demands are “not a serious conversation,” adding: “I am protecting Ukraine. I can’t sell our country”.
The Ukrainian president also shared that while the US alleges that 90 per cent of support for Ukraine comes from them, “the truth is somewhere else”.
Zelensky added: “We are grateful for their support”.
Trump slammed Zelensky in a 232-word post, making it crystal clear that he believes only the US has the clout to end the war in Ukraine.
The Republic wrote that the Ukrainian president was a “modestly successful comedian” and accused him of having “talked the US into a war that couldn’t be won”.
He raged the war “never had to start” and said Ukraine could “never be able to settle” the conflict without “the US and TRUMP”.
“The United States has spent $200 Billion Dollars more than Europe, and Europe’s money is guaranteed, while the United States will get nothing back,” wrote Trump.
“Why didn’t Sleepy Joe Biden demand Equalization, in that this War is far more important to Europe than it is to us.
“We have a big, beautiful Ocean as separation.”
Trump blasted Zelensky as playing Biden “like a fiddle” – and called him a “dictator without elections”.
He wrote: “Zelenskyy better move fast or he is not going to have a Country left.
“In the meantime, we are successfully negotiating an end to the War with Russia, something all admit only TRUMP, and the Trump Administration, can do.”
Prior to the tirade, the US President slammed Zelensky’s approval ratings, called for fresh Ukraine elections and appeared to suggest that Ukraine started the war with Russia following the historic peace talks in Saudi Arabia.
He also revealed he was ready to meet with Putin within days – but US spies have warned that Russia isn’t preparing to stop the bloodbath war in Ukraine.
The Republican remains optimistic that he has “the power to end this war” following crunch talks – and blames Ukrainian President Zelensky for “starting” it.
Speaking for the first time after top US and Russian diplomats held historic peace talks on Tuesday, Trump revealed that he will “probably” meet with his pal mad Vlad before the end of the month.
He also slammed concerns from Ukraine of having no seat in the talks – and boldly blamed Zelensky for starting the devastating war.
Timeline of Russian aggression
By Annabel Bate, Foreign News Reporter
The 1990s:
Following a flurry of anti-communist protests across Eastern Europe and throughout the Soviet bloc, the new Ukrainian parliament The Rada, was formed out of the previous Soviet legislature.
The parliament voted to declare independence from the Soviet Union.
Following independence having to be declared a second time, on Boxing Day in 1991, the Soviet Union was dissolved in Ukraine.
The following year, Nato allies began to consider adding central and Eastern European members for the fist time.
In 1994, following the Soviet Union’s collapse, Ukraine had the world’s third-largest nuclear stockpile.
In a treaty dubbed the Budapest Memorandum, Ukraine agreed to trade its intercontinental ballistic missiles among other nuclear weaponry.
This was in exchange for the US, UK and Russia to “respect the independence and sovereignty and the existing borders of Ukraine”.
The 2000s:
The 2004 Ukrainian presidential election set president Leonid Kuchma’s party, led by his successor Viktor Yanukovych, against pro-democracy opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko.
But in the final months of the campaign, Yushchenko fell mysteriously ill – with it later confirmed by doctors that he had been poisoned.
Yanuvovych won the election despite accusations of rigging which led to mass protests that have been dubbed the Orange Revolution and was overturned by courts.
Ukraine were still not allowed to enter Nato due to opposition from France and Germany, but in 2008, Nato compromised, promising Ukraine will be a member in the future.
By 2010, Yanuvovych was elected president and said that Ukraine should be a “neutral state” that cooperated with both Russia and the West.
2014:
Yanukovych announced that he was refusing to sign an association agreement with the EU to bring Ukraine into a free trade agreement and blamed pressure from Russia on the decision.
Gargantuan protests erupted across Ukraine, calling for Yanukovych to resign.
At the end of February, violence between cops and protesters resulted in 100 deaths – representing the bloodiest week in Ukraine’s post-soviet history.
Before the impeachment vote, Yanukovych fled to Russia and Ukraine’s government voted unanimously to remove him and install an interim government.
This announced it would sign the EU agreement and charged Yanukovych with mass murder of the Maidan protesters while issuing a warrant for his arrest.
Russia declared the change in Ukraine’s government as an illegal coup and stationed armed men at checkpoints and facilities in the Crimean Peninsula.
The Crimean parliament voted break way from Ukraine to join Russia with 97 per cent in favour of it – but the results have been disputed.
Putin finalised the Russian annexation of Crimea in March that year, resulting in the US and European allies imposing sanctions.
The run-up to Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine:
After the various agreements that aimed to end the post-2014 clash failed, Russia began to bolster its troops on the border with Ukraine in late 2021, before launching the invasion in February the following year.
Mad Vlad claimed that the aim of the operation was to “demilitarise and denazify” Zelensky’s pro-West government while preventing Ukraine from joining Nato.
Trump argued that Kyiv could have made a deal with Putin three years prior to avoid the Moscow invasion.
He said: “Today I heard, ‘oh, we weren’t invited’.
“Well you’ve been there for three years, you should have ended it.
“You should have never started it. You could have made a deal.”
He added: “I like [Zelensky] personally. He’s fine. But I don’t care about personally.
“I care about getting the job done. You have leadership now that’s allowed a war to go on.”
The President also called for fresh elections to be held in Ukraine and warned the conflict could escalate into a global war if Europe sends peacekeeping forces.
Despite Trump’s claims that Zelensky has 4 per cent approval ratings, an opinion poll conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology in February found that 57 per cent of Ukrainians trusted their president – up from 52 per cent in December.
Zelensky acknowledged Trump’s claim in today’s news conference, saying that if anyone wanted to replace him as a leader right now, it wouldn’t work due to his high approval rating.
Mr Boiev slammed Trump’s comments, declaring that “Putin is in it for the long term”.
The Ministry of Defence in Kyiv fears that intensive focus on a US-brokered deal will take attention away from fresh deals to replenish desperately needed military aid.
Mr Boiev said that without a new agreement, Europe will need to step into the US’ place to help fund drones, tanks and artillery.
The Deputy Defense Minister said: “We need the UK to be ready in three month’s time.
“Putin is buying time but he will start a new offensive in three month’s time.
“We need to be ready. This is a very real threat for us this year.”
The US President has previously stressed that the US wants the equivalent of $500 billion worth of rare earth minerals from Ukraine in exchange for support.
But Zelensky clarified: “It’s not $500 billion – that’s not a serious conversation.”
Ukraine’s Deputy Economy Minister Oleksii Soblev told The Sun: “It is not as simple as an exchange of minerals for aid.
Zelensky support is ‘overwhelming’ – Trump’s ‘insulting’
By Noa Hoffman in Kyiv
SUPPORT for Volodymyr Zelenskyy is “overwhelming” and it’s “insulting” for Donald Trump to demand elections, Ukrainian politicians blasted today.
Inside Kyiv’s eerily quiet parliament, seething MPs warned the US President it would be “impossible” to hold elections as a precursor to a ceasefire with Russia.
Politicians said that polling station locations, such as schools, have been bombed to smithereens and soldiers cannot abandon the front line in order to vote.
Dmytro Natalukha, chair of Ukraine Economic Affairs Committee, told The Sun: “It’s insulting for Trump to mention the level of support for Zelensky – it’s inappropriate to say the least.
“A lot of people are taking that insult personally – including those who do not support Zelensky.
“It is seen as an assault on the institution of the presidency of Ukraine.”
Mr Natalukha insisted that when the war is over and infrastructure is in place, MPs will support fresh elections.
He said: “It’s our sixth year as MPs and just like Dobby from Harry Potter we would like our sock in the end.
“Logistically and physically it’s very hard to implement elections right now.”
In freezing Kyiv, Trump’s call for fresh elections and suggestion that Zelensky was responsible for starting the war has enraged ministers and senior parliamentarians.
Between blaring sirens warning of an impending missiles attack, Mr Natalukha said: “If Trump wants a noble peace prize he needs both sides to be happy.
“But we are not happy.”
Ukraine’s Deputy Economic Minister Oleksii Soblev told The Sun: “Look at the social networks right now.
“Just today polling strong support for Zelenskyy and it will probably go much higher after Trump’s intervention.”
“The US needs to invest – we should create some kind of practical facility that will benefit the long-term interest of the US.”
Russia launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, having annexed Crimea in 2014 after Ukraine’s pro-Russian president was driven out by demonstrations.
Russia also backed proxy forces who took areas of eastern Ukraine, accusing the new government in Kyiv of discrimination and genocide against Russian speakers – with the claims rejected by the International Court of Justice.
After the various agreements that aimed to end the post-2014 clash failed, Russia began to bolster its troops on the border with Ukraine in late 2021, before launching the invasion in February the following year.
Mad Vlad claimed that the aim of the operation was to “demilitarise and denazify” Zelensky’s pro-West government while preventing Ukraine from joining Nato.
