US ignoring evidence Russia is helping Iran because it trusts Putin, says Zelenskyy

[Uncle Joe]

Ukraine’s president tells podcast he has tried to draw White House’s attention to collaboration between Moscow and Tehran over strikes on US bases

(snip)

“I said this publicly. Did we hear a reaction from the US to Russia that they have to stop it?” Zelenskyy asked rhetorically. He added: “The problem is they trust Putin. And it’s a pity.”

(snip)

Asked why this was, he said that Trump’s two negotiators – Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner – had “spent too much time” with Putin and his senior officials.

The pair travelled to Moscow five times last year and have yet to visit Kyiv. The Trump administration has piled pressure on Ukraine to cede its eastern Donbas region, the scene of intense fighting. Putin has suggested he would agree to a ceasefire if Ukraine gave up the territory.

Zelenskyy said he had a greater understanding of the Russian leader’s psychology and actual war aims than the White House. Ukraine’s president said Putin would not stop if he got the Donbas, and would next try to seize the regional capitals of Dnipro and Kharkiv.

(snip)

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/apr/09/us-ignoring-evidence-russia-is-helping-iran-because-it-trusts-putin-says-zelenskyy

[littlemissmartypants]

1. 🌻🇺🇦❤️🇺🇦🌻 Slava Ukraini! 🌻🇺🇦❤️🇺🇦🌻

[Emrys]

2. Vance's most recent bullshit in Hungary, about what a shame it was to continue losing troops over a patch of land,

indicates a few things.

Mainly that he'll say any old shit that serves him in the moment, but also that he doesn't understand (among many, many other things) the nature of and motivation behind Putin's war on Ukraine, nor why Putin's so keen to grab the rest of the Donbas.

Leaving aside the issue that it's not just about real estate trading, it's about people, it's also about the vast chain of fortifications Ukraine's built in Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts in the Donbas: the Fortress Belt, or Zaluzhny Line - many scores of miles of intricate layered defences consisting of razor wire, dragon's teeth, deep trenches as tank traps, minefields, supporting heavily armoured dugout bunkers and integrated electronic warfare systems, along with even more heavily protected underground bunkers in some of the urban areas.

Gifting that to Putin would give him an excellent springboard for his next all-out assault. It's just not going to happen.

[Bayard]

3. I trust President Z much more than anybody in this admin.