US President Donald Trump privately advised Volodymyr Zelensky to act “more boldly” toward Russia. The Kyiv Independent reported this, citing a senior Ukrainian official.
“Trump says he does not actually believe that Putin will do anything without pressure,” the source told the outlet.
American officials, the Kyiv Independent noted, did not directly confirm that Trump supports Ukrainian long-range strikes on Russian territory. At the same time, they said the US president believes in “peace through strength”.
A source cited by RBC-Ukraine also said that Trump views military pressure from Ukraine as the factor that makes “real diplomacy” with Russia possible.
According to Financial Times, citing two sources, during the latest discussion at the G7 summit in mid-June Trump was “extremely impressed and encouraged” by Ukraine’s campaign of long-range strikes against targets deep inside Russian territory. In his conversation with Zelensky, he said he was impressed by the recent successes of the Ukrainian armed forces.
The same newspaper reported that at the G7 summit Trump also agreed to tighten sanctions on Russia’s energy sector.