Ukraine's Zelenskiy says he wants America to be strong, vows to counter Russian narratives

(Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said connected Wednesday that helium wanted the United States and Kyiv's different Western allies to stay beardown successful countering Russia's demands and communicative successful its three-year warfare connected his country.

But Zelenskiy said that pro-Kremlin comments by Washington were weakening U.S. unit connected Russia and bringing bid nary person successful the biggest struggle successful Europe since World War Two.

Zelenskiy, interviewed by a sheet of European journalists successful Paris connected the eve of a gathering of European leaders, said helium had agreed to proceed with ceasefire talks to guarantee a resumption of U.S. assistance and quality sharing.

But Russia has placed further demands connected implementation of a ceasefire woody successful the Black Sea and connected vigor targets, focusing chiefly connected easing sanctions unit connected Moscow, helium said.

"They are posing conditions connected sanctions to the American side. If America stands beardown ... we are lasting connected our ain onshore and are defending ourselves," Zelenskiy said.

"We person shown our resilience. And present it is precise important for our partners to beryllium astatine slightest arsenic resilient arsenic we are, though they person much capabilities."

Asked whether helium believed the Americans would stay strong, helium answered, successful English: "I anticipation so. God bless they will."

Zelenskiy expressed gratitude for U.S. assistance successful the war, but said Washington had go "influenced" by Russian narratives of the conflict.

"We cannot hold with these narratives. We are warring for ourselves and we volition combat against these narratives wherever they look due to the fact that determination is simply nary different way," helium said.

"The lone happening we tin bash is uncover much truth. We indispensable show with our ain examples that we are warring connected the battlefield."

He said the U.S. envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, "often repeats Kremlin narratives", referring to Witkoff's favourable statements astir President Vladimir Putin's intentions and justification for Russian policies.

Washington has softened its rhetoric towards Russia successful caller days, with Witkoff saying helium did not "regard Putin arsenic a atrocious guy", alarming European officials who see the Russian person a unsafe enemy.

"I don't deliberation this brings america immoderate person to peace. Unfortunately, I judge it lone weakens the unit from the Americas connected Russia," Zelenskiy said.

"I person spoken with President Trump galore times and we are moving astatine the quality level to speech real, truthful information. Because Witkoff's statements are a large obstacle for us."

Russia invaded Ukraine successful February 2022 and present controls astir 113,000 sq km, oregon astir 20%, of Ukraine, with warring on a 1,000 km (621 mile) frontline.

Zelenskiy said Ukraine had agreed to a U.S. projected 30-day ceasefire successful earlier discussions with U.S. officials and "told the American broadside the Russians would not hold to it due to the fact that they would enforce definite conditions".

The United States announced abstracted agreements with Ukraine and Russia connected Tuesday to intermission their strikes successful the Black Sea and against each other's vigor targets

But connected Wednesday, Ukraine and Russia accused 1 different of flouting the truce connected vigor strikes.

Russia has pounded Ukraine's powerfulness grid with missiles and drones and Kyiv has launched long-range strikes connected Russian lipid and state targets successful attacks that person go a large facet of the warfare to undermine each other's warfare efforts.

(Reporting by Ron Popeski; Editing by Michael Perry)