Zelenskyy: I am not afraid of Donald Trump

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that unlike other leaders he is not "afraid" of Donald Trump and dismissed reports that their last meeting in Washington was volatile, adding he had good relations with the US president.

- Luke Harding

Ukraine's leader also said in an exclusive interview with the Guardian that King Charles had helped build relations with Trump and described the British monarch as "very supportive" of his country.

Zelenskyy was speaking after devastating Russian strikes on the country's energy grid, leading to power cuts across most Ukrainian regions yesterday. During the conversation the lights went out twice.

The president denied claims Trump had tossed aside maps of the battlefield in a stormy exchange in October at the White House, where the Ukrainians had arrived hoping to secure supplies of US Tomahawk cruise missiles. “He didn’t throw anything. I am sure,” Zelenskyy said. He described their relations as normal, businesslike and constructive.

According to the Financial Times, Trump had reportedly pressed Zelenskyy to accept Vladimir Putin’s maximalist terms for ending the war and said the Russian leader would “destroy” Ukraine if it did not agree. Zelenskyy said the meeting had unfolded differently.

The visiting Ukrainian delegation set up three stands in front of Trump and his US team, laying out successive measures including weapons and economic sanctions that would “weaken” Moscow, he said. The goal was to reduce Russia’s ability to bomb Ukraine and to force Putin to the negotiating table.

Speaking at his presidential palace in Kyiv, Zelenskyy said “everyone in the world” was afraid of Trump. “That’s the truth,” he added. Asked if that applied to him, he said: “No ... we are not enemies with America. We are friends. So why should we be afraid?”