Zelenskyy calls Trump's attempts to blame Ukraine for Russia's war 'unacceptable'

Speaking on The Diary of a CEO podcast, Zelenskyy said Trump had been unable to secure a ceasefire agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin and was instead blaming Ukraine for the continued fighting and rising diesel prices in the United States.

"I believe it is wrong and unacceptable that Trump blames me for Russia's aggression and the killings committed by Russia," Zelenskyy said.

He accused Trump of distorting the context and suggested that the criticism was intended to divert attention from Iran and developments in the Middle East.

Zelenskyy also argued that Trump could exert greater pressure on Putin through tougher sanctions and should direct the same criticism at the Russian president.

"He should use the same rhetoric toward Putin that he uses toward me," Zelenskyy said.

The Ukrainian president rejected the idea of overlooking Russia's actions for the sake of restoring economic ties.

"You cannot simply forgive everything and say, 'Well, sorry, it's Putin, a powerful country. Let's just forget everything, forgive everything, and somehow go back to buying and selling gas and diesel,'" he said.

The remarks come as Washington seeks to arrange technical-level talks involving Ukraine, Russia and the United States. Kyiv has expressed support for the proposed meeting, although no date has been confirmed.