Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, has said the country will begin working with its allies on a ceasefire proposal within the next 10 days, while continuing to call for greater international pressure on Russia. His remarks came as Donald Trump criticised Vladimir Putin for boasting about the test-firing of a nuclear-powered missile capable of travelling vast distances. Zelensky welcomed recent US sanctions on major Russian oil companies but argued that Putin would only engage meaningfully in negotiations if confronted with sustained and intensified pressure.
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Speaking to Axios, Zelensky said long-range missiles and further sanctions were essential to counter Russian escalation, warning that a lack of negotiations would only lead to a worsening of the conflict. Trump, meanwhile, dismissed the need for ultra-long-range weapons, noting that the US already has nuclear submarines positioned close to Russia. He urged Putin to focus on ending a war that has now entered its fourth year rather than testing new weaponry. Despite signalling previous openness to supplying Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine, Trump’s stance has cooled following recent exchanges with Putin.
Zelensky described a tense private meeting with Trump last month, saying discussions had devolved into a “shouting match” over how to apply pressure on Moscow without closing off diplomatic options. The Ukrainian leader has increasingly attempted to align his public messaging with Trump’s, while quietly emphasising instances in which Russia has refused to honour proposed terms for peace talks. During meetings in London with Sir Keir Starmer and the “Coalition of the Willing”, allies reiterated that Ukraine had shown readiness to negotiate, whereas Russia had continued to reject ceasefire proposals while escalating attacks.
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International partners also considered further sanctions and discussed how frozen Russian assets could be used to bolster Ukraine’s defence. The US sanctions on Rosneft and Lukoil are expected to strike a major sector feeding directly into Russia’s war effort, though Putin has insisted the country’s economy will withstand the measures. Meanwhile, Russia’s former prime minister Sergei Stepashin argued that recent missile tests would deter Ukraine from expanding its military operations. Analysts note that the Burevestnik missile, reportedly capable of reaching over 12,000 miles, could in theory strike targets from anywhere within Russia’s borders.
