Volodymyr Zelenskyy is willing to prove that he's not a "dictator" if it will bring an end to the war between Russia and Ukraine.
The Ukrainian president, who has been iced out of ongoing negotiations between Russia and the United States to end the conflict, objected to President Donald Trump's attack that he was an authoritarian on Sunday, telling reporters that he would gladly step down if it brought peace.
“If it’s about peace in Ukraine and you really want me to leave my position, I am ready to do that,” Zelenskyy said. “Secondly, I can exchange it for NATO, if there is such an opportunity.”
Zelenskyy added that he did not hope to be a career politician and his focus is on "Ukraine’s security today and not in 20 years.”
"I don’t plan to be in power for decades," he said. "Therefore, that’s my aim and my dream."
The offer for Zelenskyy came after Trump claimed that the president's presence at peace talks with Russia was unnecessary.
"[Zelenskyy's] been at a meeting for three years, and nothing got done. So, I don’t think he’s very important to be at meetings, to be honest with you,” Trump said in an interview with Brian Kilmeade. “He makes it very hard to make deals. Look what’s happened to his country, it’s been demolished.”
Zelenskyy has shared that he thinks the peace talks are illegitimate, and has promised to reject any deal.
“Ukraine regards any negotiations on Ukraine without Ukraine as ones that have no result, and we cannot recognize...any agreements about us without us,” he said earlier this month.
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