Zelenskyy says Trump living in disinformation bubble after blaming Ukraine for Russian invasion – Europe live | Ukraine

Zelenskyy says that Ukraine is “much stronger than at the beginning of the invasion,” rejecting narratives about the Ukrainian “failure to resist and the Russians occupying [everything] and being a strong army.”

He says Ukraine is “much more resilient” now, and “this guarantees our ability to speak with dignity, as equals, with partners, with allies or not.”

He also says that Ukraine is more self-sufficient, producing “30% of everything we need.”

Zelenskyy disputes Trump’s suggestions that the US has given Ukraine $500bn and opposes the idea of “giving back in minerals” through a mineral exploration agreement, saying “that is not a serious conversation.”

But he says he is prepared to work “on a serious document,” if it contains “security guarantees.”

“OK, let’s do a deal. Let’s share [it], depending on the investment … but we need security guarantees,” he says.

He says that he is prepared to make the US proposal public, although notes that “I do not think this will help our relations.”

“This document is not ready. It is outside my powers, outside the constitution and the laws of Ukraine, something [about the jurisdiction being] under the New York law,” he says.

But, crucially, “there is not a word about security guarantees.”

Look, we all want a victory, and we want Trump to win, and we want Ukraine to win, all of us to succeed.

But there is nothing clear here. Let’s put down percentages. So that was my suggestion.

But I am protecting Ukraine. I can’t sell it away. I can’t sell our state.

Zelenskyy now calls out the US and US representatives in Riyadh for describing Russian illegal invasion of Ukraine as “a conflict,” and not “simply a war by Putin against us.”

“This softens it,” he says.

He says he had similar conversation with the previous US administration, when he “fought” against an official paper describing the war “as a conflict.”

“There was a[n attempted] shift in the policy to soften the terms to describe what Putin is doing against us, and we are standing up for Ukraine’s rights here. There’s nothing terrible, but we must recognise what’s happening,” he says.

Zelenskyy says the US “have helped Putin to come out of isolation” which he says was “completely fair because of their full scale invasion” on Ukraine.

He also rebukes Trump’s comments that most of Ukraine’s support comes from the US.

“The truth is somewhere else,” he says, but adds he remains “grateful for the support” and wants “the Trump team to have true facts.”

He goes on about the talks:

“This isn’t positive for Ukraine. What it does is that they’re bringing Putin out of isolation, and the Russians are happy because the discussion focuses on them,” he says.

He adds that Russia seems to be presenting itself “as a victim, and that is something new.”

Zelenskyy now responds to Trump’s comments overnight.

He says that he “never comments on popularity ratings, especially my own or other leaders,” but he points out that the latest poll shows 58% of Ukrainian trust him.

“So if anyone wants to replace me right now, that will not work,” he says.

He also calls out “a lot of disinformation coming from Russia,” as he says that these figures seem to be shared with the US.

“Unfortunately, President Trump, with all due respect for him as the leader of a nation that we respect greatly … is living in this disinformation bubble,” he says.

Zelenskyy says he will look into collecting more data on trust in key global leaders to counter Russian disinformation, as he says he warns against “the misinformation circle around President Trump,” which he says includes representatives linked with Hungarian and Slovak governments.

“This is all concerning. Everything they are doing is to make sure that Ukraine is weak,” he says.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy is speaking now.

He says that there was “a strong message given to Europe from Ukraine” in his meetings with European leaders in recent days, and more meetings are coming, including in the UK, “in the next few weeks.”

He says the conversation focuses on “what Europe is prepared to do to help Ukraine if there is a reduction in the assistance from the US or something else,” as he stresses that “we must count on an allied position in Europe.”

He says there are plans for an hybrid meeting on the anniversary of the full-scale invasion on 24 February and gives comments on his conversations with the United Arab Emirates and Turkey, floating the suggestion that Ankara could potentially provide security guarantees for Ukraine.

I will bring you the latest shortly.

Sweden and Poland to sign agreement on civil defence

Miranda Bryant

Nordic correspondent

Sweden and Poland are today expected to sign an agreement that will see the two countries collaborate on civil defence in light of the worsening security situation across Europe.

The letter of intent, due to be signed by the Polish interior minister Tomasz Siemoniak and Swedish defence minister Carl-Oskar Bohlin in Stockholm later today, is expected to cover protection of civilians, Baltic security and hybrid threat resilience.

Meanwhile, in Copenhagen, Mette Frederiksen’s government, looking to prove its preparedness in the face of criticism from the US which wants to gain control of Greenland, part of the Danish kingdom, is expected to present a new 50bn DKK defence agreement.

Russian officials seize on Trump’s false claim on Zelenskyy’s approval rating

Pjotr Sauer

Russian affairs reporter

Russian officials on Wednesday seized on Donald Trump’s latest remarks, in which he questioned Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s legitimacy as Ukraine’s president.

Speaking on Tuesday evening, Trump falsely claimed that Zelenskyy’s approval rating was “at 4%” and described Ukraine as a country “blown to smithereens.”

While Zelenskyy’s popularity has declined in recent months, a fresh February poll by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) found that 57% of Ukrainians trusted the president, up from 52% a month earlier.

Pyotr Tolstoy, a senior member of Russia’s State Duma, called Trump’s remarks “significant” and suggested they would be “of great interest to those who call themselves politicians in Kyiv.”

Russia will be counting on Trump’s remarks to sow discord among Kyiv’s political elites and society at large, potentially weakening Ukraine’s ability to resist Russian forces.

Putin has previously dismissed negotiations with Zelenskyy, claiming his presidency is “illegitimate.”

Lavrov says 2025 marks 80 years since the end of the second world war as he goes on a rant about “manifestations of neo-nazism” globally, throwing false accusations against Ukraine, the Baltics, and Canada.

Following this aggressive line, he says that “there is no alternative to eradicating the root causes of the Ukrainian crisis,” as he repeatedly accuses Ukraine of a campaign against Russian culture.

No signs of softening his language after yesterday’s talks with the US there.

Lavrov now talks up the importance of the BRICS group of nations saying that Russia and the bloc are “stopping the West from imposing a Ukrainian agenda.”

BRICS consist of Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates.

He then moves on to talk about the importance of diplomacy and cultural diplomacy, as he claims many Russian groups “are having a difficult time because of the Russophobia unleashed by the West.”