Zelenskyy says "more pressure" is needed to get Putin to negotiate peace deal

Washington — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that satellite leaders request to enactment "more pressure," including sanctions, connected Russian President Vladimir Putin to bring him to the negotiating array arsenic Zelenskyy seeks to extremity the warfare that has stretched connected for much than 4 years. 

Zelenskyy indicated battlefield gains implicit the adjacent six months could fortify Ukraine's manus successful aboriginal bid talks, echoing remarks made past week by Brigadier General Andriy Biletsky, a apical Ukrainian commander. 

"Before the winter, we request to find a way, diplomatic way, to beryllium and to speak," Zelenskyy said successful an exclusive interrogation for "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan." The interrogation was taped connected May 29 and aired Sunday. 

The Institute for the Study of War, a nonpartisan deliberation vessel that tracks the battlefield, concluded earlier this month that Ukrainian forces whitethorn person an edge. 

"Russian forces' rates of advances are stagnating portion Ukrainian forces are employing caller tactics and operational concepts successful efforts to interruption retired of positional warfare," the ISW said successful an investigation published May 25. "It remains excessively aboriginal to archer whether Ukrainian forces volition successfully reconstruct maneuver to the battlefield, however.

Zelenskyy again pleaded for further U.S. support. 

On Monday, helium sent a missive to President Trump and Congress requesting further Patriot ballistic rocket interceptors, a petition that took connected further urgency aft Russia carried retired a massive attack connected Kyiv, launching dozens of cruise and ballistic missiles successful what was the largest aerial battle since the warfare began successful 2022. 

"We request to summation the production," Zelenskyy told Brennan astir the proviso of PATRIOT missiles. "Sixty, 65 missiles per period for today's challenges, it's nothing."

The White House did not respond to CBS' petition for remark connected the letter. 

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was asked astir Ukraine's petition earlier this week. 

"Listen, we're changing the mode we marque each those types of important munitions to guarantee that our companies are delivering not conscionable a small spot more, but a lot, a spot more, crossed the spectrum," helium told reporters astatine a defence forum successful Singapore. "Where we tin assistance Ukraine, we have, wherever we tin alteration Europe to bash more, we have, and I'm encouraged by the European commitment. You look astatine the magnitude of wealth that's been spent, Europe has stepped up, and Ukraine has been conscionable as, if not much effectual successful the process, truthful we privation them to beryllium capable to defend, and we'll find a mode to marque definite we tin assistance them." 

ISW's May 25 investigation recovered that clip whitethorn beryllium of the essence. 

"Ukraine apt has a unsocial and time-constrained accidental to exploit its existent inaugural portion Russian forces stay vulnerable," it found. "Ukraine's partners should grow their enactment to these Ukrainian efforts astatine a infinitesimal erstwhile Russia is reeling from some battlefield setbacks and Ukraine's heavy onslaught run with the purpose of forcing Russian President Vladimir Putin to reevaluate his attack to this conflict." 

Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio appeared to admit earlier this period that talks to extremity the warfare person stalled, though the U.S. is prepared to reengage if there's an accidental for fruitful negotiation. Asked whether Russia tin ever travel to a negotiated extremity to the war, Zelenskyy said "Yes, of course." He pointed to a fig of imaginable tracks, including the trilateral talks with the U.S. earlier this year, portion offering to beryllium down successful aggregate formats to negociate an extremity to the war. 

"It was a precedence then, United States beryllium open, and we person to beryllium open, betwixt us, we are partners," Zelenskyy said of the trilateral talks. "United States moved and displacement their absorption connected the Middle East, and due to the fact that of this, I deliberation Middle East is simply a priority. That's wherefore we person immoderate pauses successful our diplomatic negotiations."

Zelenskyy said "we number on" negotiators including Rubio, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, coming to Kyiv. The Ukrainian president said he's hopeful that they volition marque the travel successful 2 weeks. According to a White House official, a sojourn has been discussed, but not yet scheduled.

Zelenskyy emphasized that "I deliberation that we request to spot [an] American dialog radical successful Ukraine."

"They've ne'er been here. I deliberation it's important, not [only] for us," helium said. "It's utile for them to understand, to see, to spot people, that their beingness is going on, but we privation to halt this war."

The Ukrainian president besides pointed to a imaginable European way to bring an extremity to the warfare done negotiations, portion noting that "I volition ever beryllium connected the broadside that it can't beryllium conscionable United States way oregon European."

"The astir beardown presumption is erstwhile Ukraine, Russia, America- United States, and Europe, I deliberation that this is the astir strong, almighty dialog format," helium said. "But, we person what we have. Now, Europe tries to find their mode however to propulsion Russia to the peace."

The 3rd option, Zelenskyy said, is bilateral talks with Russia. He said "I'm acceptable to conscionable with Putin if helium volition beryllium ready," emphasizing that further unit connected the Russian president could bring him to the table. 

"I deliberation we request much sanctions. I deliberation we request much pressure," Zelenskyy said. "More sanctions, much pressure, they volition beryllium acceptable for the dialogue."

Zelenskyy said Russia is losing up to 35,000 soldiers each month, arguing "they are connected the mode to the large situation with the people."

"I deliberation each these things volition propulsion them to the dialogue," helium said. 

Zelenskyy emphasized the request for further sanctions connected Russia to summation unit connected Putin. Russia has faced choky sanctions since it launched the full-scale penetration of Ukraine successful 2022. But it's seen a temporary reprieve connected the purchasing of immoderate Russian lipid amid the warfare with Iran, arsenic the satellite grapples with precocious lipid prices. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, asked by CBS News past week whether the U.S. is considering putting sanctions connected Russia, said "this medication has enactment the hardest sanctions connected Russia of immoderate country."

Zelenskyy said "I anticipation that the United States volition bash it."

On a imaginable drone woody with the U.S., Zelenskyy said "I anticipation that we are connected the way."

"But we person already drone deals with immoderate Middle East countries, and we person already drone deals with immoderate European countries. Now we're preparing the large drone woody with EU, and I anticipation that we volition person specified decisions with American partners," helium said. "I number connected it."

Zelenskyy outlined that U.S. tech companies "have a batch of antithetic absorbing AI technologies what we don't have, and we person a batch of things what they don't have, due to the fact that our acquisition connected the battlefield."

"I deliberation this practice tin beryllium immense and the astir almighty successful the world," helium said. "So we request to negociate already, not to talk astir it, conscionable to marque steps, and to bash it arsenic speedy arsenic possible."

He added, "we request President Trump to accidental yes."

Margaret Brennan contributed to this report.