A former Ukrainian ambassador to the UK says Donald Trump
walking back on his comments on Volodymyr Zelensky shows “we’re moving in the right direction”.

As a reminder, when he was asked by the BBC’s Chris Mason yesterday about calling Zelensky a “dictator”, Trump replied: “Did I say that? I can’t believe I would say that.”

“We can’t have free and fair elections in a war. But I hear
now Trump changed his mind and he’s not pushing for something that can’t be
done now,” Vadym Prystaiko tells BBC Radio 4’s World at One programme.

On the minerals deal, it is put to him that Trump has suggested
that the presence of Americans in Ukraine as a result of a deal would deter
Vladimir Putin from attacking.

“Personally, as a former ambassador, I’d like to see
something stronger than that,” Prystaiko says. “But this is the best,
as I understand, we can have on the table.”