Zelensky Claims Putin is Only Afraid of Trump

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky used a wide-ranging interview on the French national public television broadcaster France.tv on Wednesday to quantify Ukraine’s battlefield losses, outline what he sees as Moscow’s deterrence calculus, and warn of broader European risk if Russia is not stopped.

The president framed the war in existential terms, arguing that defeat would erase national sovereignty while stressing that pressure from Washington - not Europe - currently shapes Vladimir Putin’s behavior.

Casualties And Sovereignty Calculus

Zelensky said that Ukraine has lost 55,000 soldiers, including both career troops and mobilized personnel, adding that many more are “still considered missing.” The figure marks one of his most direct public casualty disclosures and underscores the human cost of a war now entering its third year.

Pressed on whether he fears defeat, Zelensky emphasized independence as the core strategic red line, a framing that aligns military endurance with state survival, positioning battlefield outcomes as inseparable from Ukraine’s political future. He told France.tv that “losing this war means losing the independence of our country.”

If we lose our independence and become part of Russia, it would be an absolutely monstrous loss… I am sure that it won’t happen.

Ukrainian Prisdent Volodymyr Zelensky

His remarks also came amid heightened security around the presidency. Asked about personal safety after journalists passed multiple checkpoints and surrendered their phones, Zelensky said Russia “has already tried to eliminate me several times,” adding that he no longer feels the same fear as at the start of the war. “I’ve gotten used to it. It’s part of my life” he said.

“Putin Is Only Afraid Of Trump”

Zelensky devoted a significant portion of the interview to deterrence dynamics, asserting that Putin’s primary concern is the United States under Donald Trump.

“Putin is currently only afraid of Trump. That’s a fact,” he said, arguing that this gives Washington leverage “through the economy, through sanctions, through weapons.” He further urged that it not be diluted by accepting Russian conditions.

Asked directly whether Putin fears European leaders, Zelensky replied: “Yes, he is not afraid of Europeans. They are our partners; they have helped us enormously. But Putin is not afraid of them, unfortunately.”

The comments highlight Kyiv’s view that U.S. economic pressure, arms supplies, and sanctions remain the decisive external variables shaping Moscow’s choices, while European support, though substantial, lacks equivalent coercive weight in the Kremlin’s calculus.

Missile Range And Europe Warning

Zelensky also widened the strategic lens beyond Ukraine, warning that failure to halt Russia could expose the continent to direct attack. “If Ukraine does not stop Putin, he will invade Europe,” he said, adding: “I don’t want to scare anyone, but the range of their missiles is unlimited; they will strike everywhere.”

The warning ties Ukraine’s defense directly to broader European security, presenting Kyiv as a forward line of containment.

Taken together, Zelensky’s remarks combined quantified losses, explicit deterrence messaging toward Moscow, and personal security disclosures. They reinforce his central argument: that Ukraine’s war effort is not only about territorial defense, but about preserving national independence and preventing wider regional escalation.