 "Zelenskyy open to stepping down for Ukraine’s peace, hints possible NATO trade-off")
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Sunday he was willing to give up his position if it meant peace in Ukraine, quipping that he could exchange his departure for Ukraine’s entry into NATO.
Zelenskyy also said he wanted to see US President Donald Trump as a partner to Ukraine and more than a simply a mediator between Kyiv and Moscow.
“If there is peace for Ukraine, if you really need me to leave my post, I am ready. … I can exchange it for NATO,” Zelensky told a Kyiv press conference, adding he would depart “immediately” if necessary.
Zelensky and Trump have been engaged in a war of words since US and Russian officials met last week in Saudi Arabia for their first high-level talks in three years. The move shook the West’s policy to isolate the Kremlin and infuriated Ukrainian and European leaders as they were not invited.
In a series of verbal attacks over the last week, Trump has branded Zelensky a “dictator”, falsely claimed Ukraine “started” the war and said, contrary to independent opinion polls, that Zelensky was unpopular at home.
Zelensky said he was not “offended” by Trump’s comments and was ready to test his popularity in elections once martial law ends in Ukraine.
“One would be offended by the word ‘dictator,’ if he was a dictator,” Zelensky told the press conference.
“I want very much from Trump understanding of each other,” he said, adding that “security guarantees” from the US president were “much needed”.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsZelenskyy calls for ‘unity’ between allies
Ukraine’s president on Sunday called for “unity” between the United States and Europe to achieve “lasting peace”, on the eve of the third anniversary of the Russian invasion and in the wake of Donald Trump’s pro-Moscow turn.
“We must do our best to achieve a lasting and just peace for Ukraine. This is possible with the unity of all partners: we need the strength of the whole of Europe, the strength of America, the strength of all those who want lasting peace,” Volodymyr Zelensky said on Telegram, also noting that overnight the country had suffered the biggest Russian drone attack since the invasion began.
US wants return on Ukraine aid money
US President Donald Trump said on Saturday he was trying to get money back for the billions of dollars sent to support Ukraine’s war against Russia.
His comments came as Washington and Kyiv negotiate a mineral resources deal Trump wants as compensation for the wartime aid his predecessor Joe Biden gave Ukraine.
It was the latest twist in a whirlwind first month since he took office, during which he has upended US foreign policy by making diplomatic overtures towards the Kremlin over the heads of Ukraine and Europe.
Trump told delegates at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) near Washington: “I’m trying to get the money back, or secured.
“I want them to give us something for all of the money that we put up. We’re asking for rare earth and oil, anything we can get.
“We’re going to get our money back because it’s just not fair. And we will see, but I think we’re pretty close to a deal, and we better be close because that has been a horrible situation.”
With inputs from agencies
 "Russian drones over Poland: Trump’s tepid reaction a wake-up call for Nato?")
 "As Russia pushes east, Ukraine faces mounting pressure to defend its heartland")
 "Why Mossad was not on board with Israel’s strike on Hamas in Qatar")
 "Turkey: Erdogan's police arrest opposition mayor Hasan Mutlu, dozens officials in corruption probe")
 "Russian drones over Poland: Trump’s tepid reaction a wake-up call for Nato?")
 "As Russia pushes east, Ukraine faces mounting pressure to defend its heartland")
 "Why Mossad was not on board with Israel’s strike on Hamas in Qatar")
 "Turkey: Erdogan's police arrest opposition mayor Hasan Mutlu, dozens officials in corruption probe")
