Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an interview published Tuesday that he has told U.S. President Donald Trump directly that Russian leader Vladimir Putin is not negotiating in good faith, warning that Moscow is manipulating Washington’s engagement.
“I always said to President Trump that Putin is lying,” Zelenskyy told The Guardian’s Luke Harding and Pippa Crerar in London. “He plays games with you, with the White House.”
Zelenskyy spoke as the war in Ukraine enters its fifth year and as Trump has pursued direct engagement with Putin, including face-to-face meetings, despite a tense Oval Office encounter between the U.S. and Ukrainian leaders. Zelenskyy carefully praised American diplomatic efforts but said the priority of Trump’s second term in foreign policy has shifted away from Ukraine to conflict in the Middle East.
“It’s a pity,” Zelenskyy said, that compared with the help given to U.S. Gulf allies and Israel after the war against Tehran began, Ukraine had never received “that volume of support.”
Despite those concerns, Zelenskyy expressed a notably upbeat assessment of the military situation. He described the battlefield as the most promising for Kyiv in two and a half years, though he cautioned against declaring a Russian defeat.
“We can’t say Russia is losing this war,” Zelenskyy said. “But we can say they are losing the initiative each day, day by day.”
He offered a broad definition of what victory would mean for Ukraine. “Victory in this war is when Russian society recognises that the war is awful, that the war is a tragedy not for someone, somewhere, but for themselves,” he said.
To that end, Zelenskyy said the purpose of long-range Ukrainian strikes — including drone activity over apartment blocks in greater Moscow and St. Petersburg — is to make Russian residents “feel” what war means.
In other news
The interview was one of several stories in The Guardian’s Tuesday newsletter. Other developments include:
OpenAI files for IPO. The artificial intelligence company, led by Sam Altman, filed confidentially to go public on the U.S. stock market, according to a company blog post Monday. The listing is expected to be one of the most highly valued in market history, with a valuation above $850 billion. OpenAI’s move follows its conversion from a non-profit research lab to a for-profit structure. SpaceX, which owns Elon Musk’s AI company xAI, is also expected to go public soon at a valuation of around $1.75 trillion.
Israel and Iran halt attacks. Israel and Iran have stopped attacking each other after an appeal from Trump to “immediately stop shooting,” according to reports. The halt follows the most direct confrontation since a April ceasefire, including Iranian ballistic missile attacks on Israel and retaliatory Israeli airstrikes on Iran. Yemen’s Houthi rebels also fired at Israel. Analysts described the new arrangement as a fragile “ceasefire within the ceasefire.”
L.A. mayoral race advances. Nithya Raman, a progressive Los Angeles city council member, advanced to the November runoff for mayor, edging out former reality TV villain Spencer Pratt for the chance to face incumbent Mayor Karen Bass.
ICC prosecutor suspended. Karim Khan, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, has been suspended after the conclusion of a disciplinary process triggered by sexual abuse allegations against him.
Fossil fuel financing rises. The world’s largest 65 banks committed $906 billion in financing to the fossil fuel industry in 2025, up $64 billion or nearly 8% from 2024, according to a report. The surge locks in years of production incompatible with international climate agreements.
Prediction markets restrict election denial. The online prediction markets Kalshi and Polymarket will prohibit paid creators and affiliates from denying election results, amid misinformation spread about California’s election count.