Zelensky Says US Cannot Side With Putin, Calls Russia the Aggressor in Ukraine War.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called on the United States to maintain its support for Ukraine and avoid taking the side of Russian President Vladimir Putin, insisting that Washington must not align itself with a country responsible for military aggression.

Zelensky argued that the United States, as one of the world's leading democratic powers, has a responsibility to defend democratic principles, respect national sovereignty and oppose aggression wherever it occurs. He maintained that such values should guide Washington's foreign policy regardless of the countries involved.

“The United States cannot be on Putin’s side because he is the aggressor,” Zelensky said, stressing that Russia was responsible for launching the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

He further argued that American leadership should be guided by the principles of democracy and international justice, warning against any position that could be interpreted as legitimising Russia's military actions or rewarding its invasion of a sovereign country.

“The United States and its president cannot be on the side of an aggressor, no matter which country we are speaking about, because they are leaders of democracy,” he stated.

Zelensky's remarks underscore Kyiv's concerns about Washington's approach to the ongoing war and its diplomatic engagement with Moscow. Ukraine has consistently maintained that any peace agreement must respect its sovereignty and territorial integrity, while rejecting arrangements that would allow Russia to benefit from its invasion.