Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy hopes that US President Donald Trump will understand that Putin is weaker than he appears, and that a Russian victory would be a disaster not only for Ukraine, but for the entire West, and especially for the USA.

In an interview with The Time, Zelenskyy noted that Trump and his team will not accept such a defeat. “They have their own ambitions. They see their role in history,” not only as powerful leaders but as those who can achieve a dignified end to the war. “That’s why I don’t believe in these apocalyptic scenarios. Honestly I don’t,” the president noted.

The Time reports that in one of his recent phone calls with Trump, Zelenskyy tried to play out a scenario of what would happen if the ceasefire was vulnerable to endless Russian violations. It is noted that all the Ukrainian cities located along the front line would become like “a thousand Berlins” from the Cold War, walled off and divided, barely able to survive. According to Zelenskyy, they will become “dead zones” on the map of Europe, and Zelenskyy does not think that is the legacy Trump wants to leave.

Zelenskyy will reportedly continue to convince Trump and US Vice President JD Vance of this in the coming weeks, appealing not to their narrow political interests, but to their principles as statesmen.

In addition, during one of their last phone calls, Zelenskyy suggested that Vance reconsider his decision not to visit Ukraine during the war. "We are still waiting for you," Zelenskyy said, and Vance did not respond.