Zelensky Accuses Putin of 'Tricking' Trump, Urges Allies to Use Force Against Russia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday of attempting to "trick" U.S. President Donald Trump and urged Western allies to employ force against Russia, saying diplomatic pressure alone was insufficient to halt Moscow's campaign in Ukraine.

Speaking to Sky News, Zelensky said last month's summit in Alaska between Trump and Putin had handed Moscow political gains without compelling any concessions, and that a trilateral meeting including Ukraine might have produced a different outcome. "I think it gave a lot to Putin," Zelensky said. "He received de-isolation. He got the photos with President Trump. He received public dialogue, and I think this opens the doors for Putin into some other summits and formats... and I don't think he paid anything for it."

Zelensky told Sky News that Putin "understands force" and that Russia responds to military pressure. "He is waging the war and everyone is trying to stop him by arguing, by asking him. But instead, force should be used," the Ukrainian president said. He called on Europe and the United States to accelerate and expand measures beyond sanctions.

Zelensky's remarks followed reports that, at the Alaska meeting, Putin told Trump he wanted control of eastern Donetsk and Luhansk in return for relinquishing some territory held by Russian forces. Those accounts, widely reported in the aftermath of the summit, have not been independently verified by the Ukrainian government.

Ukrainian officials also reported fresh civilian casualties on Tuesday in separate Russian strikes. Ivan Fedorov, head of the military administration in Zaporizhzhia region, said an attack there left one person dead and nine wounded, including a child. In the southern Mykolaiv region, Governor Vitaliy Kim said a Russian strike on a farm killed a tractor driver while he worked in a field, calling the incident a "targeted attack on civilians."

Tensions around the conflict have escalated since Trump held separate high-profile talks with Putin and with Zelensky last month, according to diplomatic sources and media reporting. NATO members Poland and Romania have accused Russia of sending drones into their airspace in recent weeks, prompting both countries to scramble fighter jets. Poland temporarily closed its border with Belarus after the incident, and Minsk conducted military drills alongside Russian forces.

Moscow has rejected the accusations from Poland and Romania, saying neither country presented convincing evidence that the drones were Russian and calling one of the incidents a "provocation" by Ukraine. The Kremlin did not immediately respond to Zelensky's latest comments.

Diplomats and analysts say the meetings involving Trump have complicated efforts to win a coordinated international response to Russia's campaign in Ukraine, which began with Moscow's full-scale invasion in February 2022 and has since involved sustained combat across eastern and southern Ukraine. Western governments have provided sanctions, weapons and economic aid to Kyiv, but calls from Kyiv for direct military intervention by allied forces have remained politically sensitive in Europe and the United States.

Zelensky's public push for the use of force comes as Kyiv seeks faster deliveries of long-range weapons and air defenses to blunt Russian strikes on civilian infrastructure and population centers. Ukrainian officials and Western diplomats have frequently emphasized the risks of escalation if NATO or its members were to engage directly in combat with Russian forces, even as they continue to expand military and nonmilitary support for Ukraine.

The dispute over the Alaska summit, the recent strikes that killed civilians and the allegations of incursions into NATO airspace underline the fragile state of diplomatic efforts to reduce hostilities. Zelensky said he believed being included in talks with world leaders would change outcomes for Ukraine, arguing that direct engagement with Kyiv alongside other state actors would prevent concessions favoring Moscow.

As international debate continues over the best means to deter further Russian aggression, Kyiv has pressed allies for quicker and more robust assistance, while Moscow maintains it is defending its interests and denies some of the allegations leveled against it. Neither the White House nor the Kremlin issued an immediate response to Zelensky's latest public appeal.