The President of Ukraine noted that during the meeting in the White House he reacted to incorrect facts about the Russian war, the number of deaths, the reasons for the hatred of Putin by Ukrainians, which ultimately led to disputes with the American side.
He said this in an interview with Fox News, which aired on Friday, Ukrinform reports.
“When you are in the United States and, for example, the president, vice president or one of the senators – it doesn’t matter, big politicians – when they say that Ukraine is almost destroyed, that our soldiers run away, that they are not heroes, that Ukraine lost millions of civilians, that their president is a dictator, what will the reaction be?” Zelensky noted in response to a question about what sparked a spat in the Oval Office.
He noted that this is not about personal emotions, but about how partners communicate with each other. At the same time, Zelensky emphasized that he seeks to maintain partnership relations.
The President of Ukraine noted that similar rhetoric from representatives of the U.S. administration has already been heard during phone talks, meetings in Munich, and on other platforms, and he always tried to politely correct it.
“Please, be correct with numbers. When you speak about the number (of deaths – ed.), each person is important. When you speak about a million losses, we do not have a million losses,” the President of Ukraine explained.
He continued that people need to be careful in statements about occupied and destroyed territories, because these are people’s homes and lives.
According to Zelensky, no one in Ukraine will forgive Putin over this war.
“This is real life. That’s what I said (during the meeting in the Oval Office – ed.),” Zelensky said.
As Ukrinform reported earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed confidence that his relationship with U.S. President Donald Trump can be saved after a dispute that arose during negotiations at the White House. According to him, this is more than a relationship between the two presidents, as there are strong ties and relations between the peoples of Ukraine and the United States.
Source: Zelensky explains what he couldn’t keep silent about at Oval Office meeting
