Ukraine would have a slim chance of survival if it loses the support of its biggest friend, the United States, in the face of Russia’s aggression, according to the country’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, in an interview with NBC that will air on Saturday. He went on to say that Russia is not seeking a ceasefire to end the war, but rather to relieve sanctions and reorganize its military.

Ukraine has little chance of surviving Russia’s invasion without US assistance, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy warned on Friday, following phone discussions this week between Trump and Zelenskiy and Russian President Vladimir Putin. “It will probably be very, very difficult. Of all, in all difficult situations, you have a chance. But we will have a minimal chance of survival without the help of the United States,” Zelenskiy said in an interview with NBC News’ “Meet the Press.”
On Friday, an excerpt was released from the interview, which will be broadcast on Sunday. Trump discussed the war with Putin and Zelenskiy in separate calls on Wednesday, in the U.S. president’s first big step toward diplomacy in a conflict he promised to end quickly. Trump later said it was not practical for Kyiv to join NATO and that Ukraine would not get back all its land. Russia, which annexed Crimea in 2014, launched a full-scale invasion.
Zelenskiy said in the interview that Putin wanted to come to the negotiating table not to end the war but to get a ceasefire deal to lift some global sanctions on Russia and allow Moscow’s military to regroup. “This is really what he wants. He wants pause, prepare, train, take off some sanctions, because of ceasefire,” Zelenskiy said. Trump said his call with Putin was a good conversation that lasted over an hour, while the Kremlin said it lasted nearly an hour and a half. Zelenskiy’s office said Trump and Zelenskiy spoke for about an hour. Trump said the call “went very well.”

Zelenskiy said in the interview that Putin wanted to come to the negotiating table not to end the war but to get a ceasefire deal to lift some global sanctions on Russia and allow Moscow’s military to regroup. “This is really what he wants. He wants pause, prepare, train, take off some sanctions, because of ceasefire,” Zelenskiy said. Trump said his call with Putin was a good conversation that lasted over an hour, while the Kremlin said it lasted nearly an hour and a half. Zelenskiy’s office said Trump and Zelenskiy spoke for about an hour. Trump said the call “went very well.”