Volodymyr Zelensky has hit back at Donald Trump, saying the US president should use the same tough language about Vladimir Putin that he uses about the Ukrainian leader.
In an excerpt from an appearance on Steven Bartlett's "Diary of a CEO" podcast, Zelensky said: "The way President Trump talks about me, he needs to adopt that kind of rhetoric about Putin."
Ceasefire Called a Huge Compromise
Zelensky acknowledged the pressure to negotiate, saying: "When President Trump says we need to find a compromise – we live with this. A ceasefire and sitting down at the negotiating table – it is a huge compromise."
He stressed the emotional weight of any deal, noting that "nobody can step into the shoes of all these people whose children were tortured" and that "you can't force people to forgive."
Justice and Hatred
Zelensky said: "How can you force them when their child was tortured? How do you forgive? It's impossible. I desperately want justice. I just really want. I know so many people had their hearts ripped out, and there won't be a new heart."
He argued that a ceasefire is "the only step, because people's hatred isn't going anywhere. It takes time and justice. And that's why it's a huge compromise."
Appeal to Trump
Zelensky said he has "tried many times to tell the President of the United States: understand us. This is a huge compromise just to hold the lines where we are."
He added that Trump "can bring Putin to the negotiating table very easily," before delivering the swipe about the president's rhetoric.
