Zelenskyy urges US to ramp up pressure on Putin: Russia may try to expand the war

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that the United States should increase pressure on Russian dictator Vladimir Putin to end the war. According to him, Russia is not demonstrating readiness to end the aggression and may also attempt to expand the war.

This was stated by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy in an interview with CNN.

Zelenskyy noted that Ukraine needs greater U.S. involvement in the peace process. He also said he had directly appealed to the White House requesting additional Patriot systems for Ukraine and had conveyed similar requests through allies.

The president confirmed that he recently held a phone call with U.S. Vice President JD Vance but did not disclose the details. According to him, Kyiv has also proposed new ideas for the peace process under the leadership of Donald Trump.

“We need greater involvement from the American side in the peace plan. I am grateful to President Trump’s team for their willingness to continue. Putin does not want to end this war, and there is currently insufficient pressure on him,” Zelenskyy emphasized.

He also rejected the possibility of transferring the remaining territories of Donbas to Russia, stressing that security guarantees remain key for Ukraine.

Separately, Zelenskyy agreed with assessments by some Western officials regarding the potential expansion of Russian aggression against NATO, including an attack on one of the Baltic states.

“He does not know how to end this war without a large-scale occupation or a major victory for his society. It is easier to find some smaller country… for him it will not matter whether that country is a NATO member or not. He wants a quick victory, he is 100% confident that he will win, occupy, destroy, or take control,” the Ukrainian president added.