00:03Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he does not fear U.S. President Donald Trump,
00:08despite acknowledging that everyone in the world is afraid of the American leader.
00:13Zelensky's remarks, published in an interview with The Guardian,
00:16come as Ukraine continues to navigate a fragile and often unpredictable relationship with Washington.
00:22Zelensky has faced a challenging dynamic with Trump,
00:25who has publicly labeled the Ukrainian president a dictator
00:27and subjected him to a tense, highly publicized confrontation at the White House in February.
00:34Despite those incidents, Zelensky has repeatedly adopted a diplomatic tone,
00:38aware that Kiev's wartime survival depends heavily on U.S. support.
00:42We are not enemies with America, Zelensky said.
00:45We are friends. So why should we be afraid?
00:48Trump's approach to Ukraine and other global partners has fluctuated
00:52since he returned to office at the beginning of the year.
00:54He has enacted tariffs on long-standing allies such as Canada and shifted his rhetoric on Ukraine,
01:00at times calling Zelensky brave, while also suggesting that Kiev holds little leverage
01:05and even implying that Ukraine started the war with Russia.
01:10Moscow launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022 after annexing Crimea in 2014.
01:16Everyone in the world is afraid of Trump, Zelensky said.
01:20That's the truth.
01:22Zelensky recently traveled to Washington seeking approval for U.S.-made Tomahawk long-range cruise missiles.
01:28The weapons would give Ukraine the ability to strike farther into Russian territory.
01:32The Biden administration had signaled potential willingness to supply them.
01:37Though Moscow had warned such a move would escalate tensions,
01:40Zelensky left Washington without securing the missiles.
01:42The Ukrainian leader also rejected reports that Trump angrily tossed aside maps of Eastern Europe during their meeting.
01:49He insisted the discussions were normal and constructive,
01:53countering claims in the Financial Times that the meeting had devolved into an expletive-filled shouting match.
01:59In addition to long-range missiles, Zelensky said Ukraine hopes to acquire 27 U.S.-supplied Patriot air defense systems.
02:06He added that European nations might provide their own advanced systems as temporary substitutes.
02:11As Russia continues its heavy aerial bombardment, including ballistic missile attacks,
02:16Ukraine has prioritized patriots, widely considered the premier system for intercepting ballistic threats.
02:23But the batteries and the missiles they require remain limited and in high demand.
02:27Looking toward the long term, Zelensky reaffirmed Ukraine's commitment to its partnership with the United States.
02:32The U.S. is our strategic partner for many years, perhaps even decades and centuries, he said.
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