It took Ukraine’s president time and effort to not only repair his diplomatic relations with the Trump administration, but also to prove that no one wants the end of Russia’s all-out war more than Ukraine does.

Touching on Ukrainian anxieties that a direct meeting between Mr. Trump and Putin could marginalize Kyiv and European interests, Zelenskyy said: "Any decisions that are without Ukraine are at the same time decisions against peace. They will not bring anything. These are dead decisions. They will never work."