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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an exclusive interview with the American channel Newsmax on Tuesday that any offensive weapons provided by the United States could force Russian President Vladimir Putin to sit down at the negotiating table, even if such weapons, including missiles capable of hitting targets deep inside Russian territory, were not used.

"President Trump and all of America and Europe know that we want peace and an end to the war," Zelensky said."But the Russians understand only force. Therefore, only strong sanctions and strong weapons are needed. We are ready for action, for a demonstration of force."

"I remember that we had a strong deterrence package even before President Trump became president. I wanted to buy such a package from America. But it didn't happen. We talked with President Trump about these things. I would very much like us to be strong. A demonstration of force forces Putin to sit down at the negotiating table. It is not certain that we will have to use this force, but if Russia knows about its existence, this is already a strong argument for ending the war," Zelensky told Newsmax.

Ukrainian ground robot Liut (Fury) in hot action

Zelenskyy boasted that Trump finally saw Putin for what he is: according to the Ukrainian president, a liar who doesn't want to make peace.

Trump, who promised to end the war in Ukraine shortly after taking office, has been frustrated by the Russian president's reluctance to agree to a peace deal or even a ceasefire. On Monday, Trump announced a plan to arm Ukraine with missiles and other weapons, including the Patriot missile defense system, and warned of"very heavy tariffs" if Russia does not end the war within 50 days.

Zelensky also said that Putin is afraid of the United States. He cited as an example that when retired U.S. General Special Envoy Keith Kellogg and other Americans visited Kiev, massive attacks stopped for two nights.

"People are even making jokes about it and saying that we should give General Kellogg a Ukrainian passport and leave him here, and that the Americans should come to us more often, because then Russia would bomb less," Zelensky said.

Shooting between a Zuzana 2 howitzer and a Russian 152 mm gun

Zelensky said Trump is giving Putin a chance to end this war that previous President Joe Biden failed to stop. And he is confident Trump can do it, he told Newsmax.

"I really want to believe that if Putin does not draw conclusions, President Trump will really apply strong sanctions that cannot be circumvented - first of all, in the energy and banking sectors. And also that he will provide us with a strong deterrent package and powerful air defense systems that will be able to protect Ukraine and, ultimately, European countries. That's the difference," Zelensky said.