Photo: President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy/Office of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Russia managed to influence certain representatives of the US administration by spreading the narrative that Ukrainians do not want the war to end. The head of state said this in an interview with The Time magazine published on 24 March.
“I believe that Russia managed to influence some people in the White House team with information. Their signal to the Americans was that Ukrainians do not want to end the war, and something must be done to force them,” Zelenskyy said.
The President emphasised that Ukraine is waging a defensive war motivated not by political ambitions, but by a sense of dignity and the fight for freedom.
“We do not consider ourselves a superpower. But we are very emotional, and when it comes to our sense of dignity, freedom, democracy, our people rise up and unite,” Zelenskyy stressed.
A sense of isolation in the White House
Zelenskyy also commented on one of the key moments of his trip to Washington. In particular, he recalled 28 February, when, according to him, he did not feel the support of an ally in the Oval Office.
“There was a feeling that we were not allies, or we were not taking an ally’s position. In that conversation, I was defending the dignity of Ukraine,” the president said, referring to a tense discussion with Donald Trump and Senator J.D. Vance, one of the critics of US aid to Kyiv.
The information war continues
President Zelenskyy’s statement comes amid ongoing diplomatic efforts to maintain Western support, despite Russia’s attempts to convince Washington that Kyiv is not interested in peace. According to the Ukrainian side, such information injections are aimed at undermining trust between allies and weakening the coalition in support of Ukraine.
Against the backdrop of delayed US military assistance and growing polarisation in US politics, the Ukrainian leadership continues to insist that victory means ending the war on fair terms, not concessions to the aggressor.
