Zelenskyy says Trump can ‘very easily’ bring Putin to negotiating table

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Thursday that Donald Trump can "very easily" bring Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table, urging the American leader to direct his rhetoric towards the Russian president.

"Trump could very easily bring Putin to the negotiating table. Because, given the way he talks about me, President Trump needs to start using that kind of rhetoric concerning Putin," Zelenskyy said in an interview with British podcaster Steven Bartlett, responding to a question on whether there is a realistic path to the end of the Ukraine war.

Trump has lately asserted that Zelenskyy is the obstacle to peace in Ukraine, and urged the Ukrainian leader to make a deal with Putin or nominate someone else to negotiate.

The US leader has also criticized Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy infrastructure, arguing that attacks on refineries could worsen global fuel shortages and affect American farmers and ranchers.

Zelenskyy said the US had already approved latest sanctions against Russia and Trump could use of them if he chose to do so.

He, however, suggested that Trump's "special relationship" with Putin may be the reason behind his reluctance to impose the measures.

He argued that the volumes of diesel fuel that Russia would supply as part of its recent agreement with Washington are insufficient to affect prices in the US. He said Kyiv's strikes on Russian energy infrastructure are a response to Moscow's strikes on those in Ukraine.

Zelenskyy said he asked Trump to at least broker an energy ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, but to no avail. "Putin refuses his request. The president (Trump) then decides to pin this problem not on Putin, but on me, explaining to his people that this is the reason why the price of diesel in America is rising. That is absolutely not true," Zelenskyy said.

"He is changing the context, and that is unfair," Zelenskyy said, adding that Trump seeks to divert attention away from events in the Middle East. Transit through the Strait of Hormuz remains severely reduced since the Iran war, which began in late February, affecting global oil prices.