Zelenskyy says Putin is the obstacle to peace talks as G7 summit focuses on Russia-Ukraine war

U.S. President Donald Trump met with world leaders Tuesday during day two of the G7 summit. While the U.S.-Iran agreement is in the spotlight, leaders are also focused on the war between Russia and Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who is in attendance, is making it clear that Russian President Vladimir Putin is the obstacle to any proper negotiations to end the war.

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“Politically, Ukraine is ready for ending the war — ceasefire,” Zelenskyy said Tuesday. “Russia is not demonstrating any serious activity in any of those directions. Everyone else understands that everything else is just a game. It’s important that at the G7 meeting everyone realizes that.”

The remarks come just days after Trump held separate phone calls with both Zelenskyy and Putin. According to the Kremlin, Trump again called for an end to the war, but Putin said that if Zelenskyy wants a meeting, he must travel to Moscow — an offer Zelenskyy has repeatedly rejected.

Zelenskyy said Tuesday that until proper negotiations can be held, his focus at the G7 summit will be on getting additional support for Ukraine and increasing pressure on Russia, which has ramped up strikes in recent days.

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“The priorities are clear: increasing the number of air defense missiles and providing licenses for their production, a winter support package, and strengthening pressure on Russia,” Zelenskyy said. “It is important that the United States is ready to provide backstop support in these areas of work.”