Zelensky Tells Fox’s Bret Baier Putin Is ‘Afraid’ to Meet With Him

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told Fox News anchor Bret Baier he believes Russian dictator Vladimir Putin is ducking a meeting with him because he is “afraid,” not of him but of the consequences that would result from such a meeting.

Zelensky sat down for an interview with Baier on a momentous day that saw President Donald Trump deliver a contentious speech at the United Nations general assembly, voice support for NATO countries shooting down Russian aircraft that violate their airspace, and post a statement that represented a shocking reversal of his past comments on the war in Ukraine, calling Russia a “paper tiger” and saying that he believed Ukraine should be able to get all of their land back from Russia.

Baier noted that since Putin met with Trump in Alaska, Russia had ramped up its military strikes against Ukraine and been targeting civilians, with the attacks and drone strikes having “increased exponentially.”

Zelensky agreed that these attacks had indeed increased, and Baier asked him what he thought happened after the Alaska meeting.

Zelensky replied that Trump had tried to keep the “diplomatic possibility of negotiations” open and pushed for a “trilateral meeting between us,” but “Putin, as always, I think he uses the situation — used, I’m sorry — he just used this situation,” mentioning the photo ops Putin had been able to get from the meeting that made him look tough and “unshakeable” for “his audience” back in Russia.

So while Trump “wanted to show Putin that he’s ready for negotiations, that we are ready to make some progress,” Putin was feeling “not enough pressure,” Zelensky added.

“The next step was going to be a one-on-one meeting between Vladimir Putin and yourself,” said Baier. “So, right now, that does not look like it’s happening.”

“Yeah, because he’s afraid of such meeting,” Zelensky agreed. “He’s not afraid of me. He’s afraid of such meeting. Because he has to have some outcome. But his outcome for today is to continue the war. Of course, he said to President Trump — and I think sometimes when they have conversations, Russian teams and American teams, they say that they want peace. But it’s not truth.”

Watch the clip above via Fox News.