Ukrainian President Zelenskyy wants Trump to pressure Russia and help broker an end to the war

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told ABC This Week co-anchor Martha Raddatz that he sees Donald Trump as a key figure who can end the war between his nation and Vladimir Putin’s Russia.

In an interview that aired Sunday, the Ukrainian President noted that ‘the majority of wars were finished with some kinds of agreements … [with] strong third parties involved who can put pressure on the aggressor,’ Zelenskyy told Raddatz.

‘Are there enough levers and powers to stop this in the United States? Yes, I am convinced that the president of the United States has all the powers and enough leverage to step up,’ Zelenskyy continued.

‘He can unite around him other partners like European leaders,’ he concluded. ‘They [are] all looking at the President Trump as a leader of the free world, a free, democratic world, and they are waiting for him,’ Zelenskyy added.

The Ukrainian President also called for America to pressure Russia via economic sanctions, noting that only the United States can actually make a difference.

‘It doesn’t matter who wants, apart from the United States, to apply sanctions against Russia,’ Zelenskyy stated. ‘If it’s not the United States, there will be no real impact.’ 

Some Washington, DC Republicans agree with the Ukrainian President’s calls to be tougher on Russia.

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Emeritus, Michael McCaul (R-Texas) told Shannon Bream in a FOX News Sunday interview that he believes his House colleagues would support a bill by Senator Lindsey Graham to put extreme pressure on Russia.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy meets with U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), in Kyiv, Ukraine May 30, 2025

US Senators Lindsey Graham (R) and Richard Blumenthal (L) sitting during a meeting with Ukrainian’s President in Kyiv, Ukraine May 30, 2025

‘So, you have to put pressure. How do you do that? Secondary sanctions. Lindsey Graham has a bill. If he passes it tomorrow, we’ll pass it in the House,’ McCaul said.

‘And secondly, keep the flow of weapons going into Ukraine to pressure Mr. Putin to act in good faith. I have little confidence in him,’ McCaul added.

Graham’s bill would place a 500% tariff on any nation that purchases Russian oil, uranium, and petroleum products.

The legislation presently has the support of a bipartisan group of 82 members of the United States Senate.

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Emeritus, Michael McCaul (R-Texas) on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., April 16, 2024

Senate Armed Services Committee member Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) on April 1, 2025, in Washington

Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) is one of the cosponsors of Graham’s bill, but is at the same time no fan of Zelenskyy’s.

Tuberville told WABC 770 AM host John Catsimatidis in a Sunday morning interview that he views Zelenskyy as ‘dictator’.

‘He knows that if he had an election he’d get voted out … Back during World War II, we had elections. You can’t stop your constitution just because there’s a war going on.’

‘That’s when you really need to look into your constitution. Zelenskyy is a dictator, and he has created all sorts of problems,’ Tuberville stated.

‘We’ve got a lot of money that’s been missing. No telling where it’s gone … It’s way out of control. But the Biden administration allowed it to happen. It really escalated the last couple of years.’

‘My God! It would be like our Vietnam War. But it’s probably three or four times worse than the Vietnam war, because we only lost 50,000. I think both of these [nations] have lost close to 500,000 to 700,000 people. It’s devastating to the world,’ Senator Tuberville added. 

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