Trump says Ukraine’s Zelensky doing ‘pretty well’ against Russia

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky – whom he previously said lacked the “cards” to win – is doing well in the war against invading Russian forces.

“He’s doing pretty well. He’s holding his own, at least. A lot of people dying on both sides, but I think he’s doing pretty well,” Trump said of Zelensky in remarks to journalists in the Oval Office.

“You have to say he’s courageous, he’s got great equipment, but he’s got great men, he’s got fighters.”

Analysts say Ukraine is increasingly holding up well on the battlefield but its cities are still the target of deadly Russian attacks in a conflict that has now lasted longer than World War I.

Trump and Zelensky most recently met during the G7 summit in France, where leaders agreed to intensify pressure on Russia to end more than four years of war with Ukraine.

Afterward, Zelensky posted to Twitter that he was “grateful to President Trump for his attention to Ukraine and his readiness to help bring peace closer.”

Trump came out of the meeting voicing a renewed interest in reimposing sanctions on Russian oil.

Prior to the G7, Washington had imposed and then extended a sanctions waiver for Russian oil cargoes already at sea, troubling European allies.