Zelenskyy Warns Siding With Putin Would Be a Historic Mistake, Says US Intelligence Sharing Is Back

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the United States would make a historic mistake if it formally aligned itself with Russian President Vladimir Putin, on NBC News Meet the Press on Sunday. He said he still wants President Donald Trump to remain an ally and hopes Trump will reverse recent decisions that have unsettled Kyiv, NBC News reported.

"We want to trust him," Zelenskyy told moderator Kristen Welker. "I hope that he will change his decisions, because I think that it's all mistakes, and it will not help us, and it will not help United States."

The interview was prerecorded and aired on Sunday, the New York Post reported. It came two days after Trump waived newly approved sanctions on Russia in an executive order on Friday, saying the move served the national interests of the United States. The sanctions, passed with bipartisan support and signed by Trump last month, were designed to penalize buyers of Russian oil and gas, NBC News reported.

Intelligence sharing is back, Zelenskyy says

Zelenskyy said United States intelligence sharing with Ukraine was blocked and has been restored, the Kyiv Post reported. "It was blocked for some period of time. And then it was de-blocked by the American side. We are very thankful for this. Now it works," he said, according to the New York Post.

He said the pause lasted about three days and left Ukraine unable to see incoming Russian ballistic missiles, the New York Post reported. "We didn't see attacks of Russia using ballistic missiles," he said. "We have dozens of countries who help. But only United States has this unique intelligence to tell our side when Russia uses ballistic missiles. And we didn't get it during ballistic attacks during three days."

Zelenskyy also said limits had been placed on Starlink technology, which Ukraine uses to help counter jet-powered drones, NBC News reported. He said Ukrainian officials believe the limits, imposed by Elon Musk's SpaceX, came in response to a "message from American government." He said he did not know whether Trump or Musk personally made the decision, but said he thought "both" were involved.

The sanctions waiver and the diesel deal

Zelenskyy said the waiver landed just days after Trump struck a deal with Putin that would release hundreds of thousands of tons of Russian diesel fuel onto the global market at a time of rising fuel prices, NBC News reported. "This will strengthen Putin in his will to occupy us," he said.

He also called it a "pity" that Trump had waived a sanctions bill championed by the late Senator Lindsey Graham. He described Graham as "a great supporter of peace and of Ukraine" who "invested his life and time because he really believed in Ukraine," NBC News reported.

Still open to talks

Zelenskyy addressed Trump's recent remark that he was "more difficult to deal with than Putin." He said he had been direct with the United States president. "Maybe it's not very polite," he said, "but it is better to have partners who are very open and clear than to have those who are killers, even with a smile on their face."

He said his view that the United States had betrayed Kyiv has not changed, NBC News reported. Still, he said he was due to speak with United States negotiators by phone later on Sunday and remained hopeful of a meeting in the days ahead. "I'm very open for this, even with all the difficult circumstances," he said.