USA is our strategic partner for many years, respect at core of Ukraine's relationship with them – Zelenskyy

Relations with US President Donald Trump are constructive and very substantive, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an interview with The Guardian published on Sunday.

The interviewer asked Zelenskyy whether the Financial Times report that Trump was furious and was throwing cards during their last meeting was true.

"No, he didn't throw anything. I'm not shy about telling the truth. I believe that the shortest distance in dialogue between people and achieving results is to tell it like it is. Well, maybe not to tell everything, but to tell it like it is. And if you're asking whether any cards were thrown, then nothing was thrown, absolutely nothing," Zelenskyy replied.

The Guardian correspondent asked to characterize the current relationship with Trump.

"Constructive, very concrete. I understand, well, everyone's afraid of Trump. Everyone in the world. And that's true. This is the United States of America. And they are the leaders," Zelenskyy began to explain.

"Are you afraid of Donald Trump?" the interviewer asked.

"No. I think he's a human being, elected by the people. We must respect the choice of the people of the United States of America. I'm a human being, elected by the people. And I think that's the level it should be. We're not a threat to the United States of America. On the contrary, I think the United States of America is our partner, a strategic partner. I believe it's a strategic partner for many years, I don't know, maybe even decades, hundreds of years. This is important. Because Ukraine has chosen a vector for itself, which, by the way, isn't new, but rather a return to Western values, to Europe. And therefore, in my view, only respect. Respect. It's the enemies who should be afraid. But we're not enemies with America; we're friends, so why should we be afraid?" Zelenskyy responded.