Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russian officials of “playing games” with the peace talks as the war crosses the grim mark of four years.
“Russians are not serious” about bringing the war to a close, Zelensky said, responding to a question on how the peace talks were progressing.
The Ukrainian leader, who was speaking from his presidential office in Kyiv, also accused Vladimir Putin of using overtures to Donald Trump to weaken Kyiv’s negotiating position.
“I see it, because they are very poor actors. They are playing with Trump and playing with the entire world. That’s how it is,” Zelensky said. “Putin thinks he looks convincing and that he can be trusted. No – he is a bad actor,” he said.
This comes as Ukraine’s military chief announced a major battlefield win. Ukrainian troops have regained control of 400sqkm of territory, including eight settlements, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said.
The rare battlefield gains in the southeastern Dnipropetrovsk region stand in contrast to the broader trend of slow and costly Russian advances across the frontlines over the past two and a half years a day before the war marks its four years anniversary.
