Zelensky warns Trump Putin is ‘bluffing’ ahead of crunch Ukraine peace talks

Volodymyr Zelensky said he told Donald Trump that Vladimir Putin was “bluffing” on being open to ceasefire negotiations, ahead of high stakes “one-on-one” talks between the US and Russia on Friday (15 August). Speaking in Berlin after getting off a call with Trump and European officials on Wednesday (13 August), the Ukranian president said that if Putin doesn’t agree to a peace deal in Alaska, then further sanctions and more “joint pressure” should be placed on Moscow. He revealed: “I told the US president and our European colleagues that Putin is bluffing. He is trying to push forward along the whole front.” Zelensky also said that Putin is trying to downplay the impact of the sanctions, when they are actually “very effective and hurting the Russian military economy”.