&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "'Our relationship is better than before': Zelensky is 'counting his blessings' as Trump flips stance on Ukraine land swaps")
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said he was surprised by Donald Trump’s change of position on the war with Russia, adding that his relationship with the US president is now “better than before”. “I think we have better relations than before. It’s good that we have often [had] phone calls and meetings, and the fact that [Russian President Vladimir] Putin was lying to President Trump so many times also made a difference between us,” Zelensky said. He also added that intelligence sharing between Kyiv and Washington has become more closely aligned.
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What did Zelensky say about land swaps?
Zelensky dismissed the idea of giving up Ukrainian land in exchange for peace with Russia, saying Trump now appears to understand that position. “It’s important that today we had a good conversation with President Trump, and I think he understands, for today, that we can’t just swap territories,” he told Fox News. “It’s not fair, it’s not real.” When asked if Trump’s stance had shifted, Zelensky replied, “Yes, I think so. And God bless it.”
“It’s not about territories,” he added. “It’s about the position of [Russian President Vladimir Putin]. He will continue if we will give them more than he really wants,” he added.
Trump appeared to confirm the shift in a post on Truth Social, saying Ukraine, with backing from NATO and the European Union, could “fight and WIN all of Ukraine back in its original form”. That marked a sharp reversal. Only a month earlier, Trump supported the idea of Ukraine ceding land to Russia to end the war.
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Timeline of Trump and Zelensky's relationship
The two leaders have had a rocky relationship in the past. Tensions were evident in February when Trump and Vice President JD Vance sharply criticised Zelensky during an Oval Office meeting. But during their meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, Trump praised the Ukrainian leader, calling him a “brave man”. “We have great respect for the fight that Ukraine is putting up,” Trump said. “It’s pretty amazing,actually.”
