Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told President Donald Trump that Russian President Vladimir Putin is only feigning interest in talks to end Russia’s war against Ukraine because he is “afraid of you,” inside sources told Axios.
Trump spoke on the phone with the Ukrainian leader Wednesday—the same day that the president announced he had entered talks with Putin to reach peace in the two-year-long conflict.
Trump indicated to Zelensky that he thought Putin wanted to make a deal, but the Ukrainian was skeptical of the Russian leader’s intentions, Axios reported, citing a Ukrainian official and three other sources with knowledge of the call.
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“Putin told you he wants a deal only because he is afraid of you, because you are strong,” he said, according to the sources.
The overall message was that Trump has “leverage” over Putin, one source said.
Trump reportedly acknowledged that Zelensky could be right, adding, “We will know soon.”
Zelensky told Trump that he was still interested in making a deal to end the war but was concerned about Trump talking to Putin.
“I need to talk to Putin in order to save Ukraine,” Trump reportedly told him.
Zelensky’s office declined to comment to Axios, and the White House did not immediately reply to the Daily Beast’s request for comment.
During the call, Trump also shared details about what a negotiation process would look like with Zelensky.
Trump said that his upcoming meeting with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Munich will help launch the diplomatic process.
The president added that CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Steve Witkoff, special envoy to the Middle East, will play a role in the negotiations. He told Zelensky to prepare his own team.
Zelensky also informed Trump that there had been Russian airstrikes overnight in Ukraine. He added that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent arrived in Kyiv after the strikes.
Trump joked that if Bessent had heard the strikes, he “would have run away back to the U.S. already.”
Zelensky said publicly on Wednesday that it was “not pleasant” that Trump had spoken with Putin before him.
Trump’s call with Putin had raised concerns from some that he was prepared to give in to the Russians' demands, backing Ukraine into a corner.
Trump’s defense secretary, Pete Hegesth, suggested that it was “unrealistic” that Ukraine could reclaim all its Russian-occupied territories.
News of Trump’s call with Putin—and the cold water thrown on Ukraine’s desire to recoup territory—seemed to elate Russian state propagandists, who couldn’t hold back smiles and laughter while discussing the revelation on TV.
