Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he is willing to give up his position if it means peace in Ukraine, adding that he could exchange his departure for his country's entry into the NATO military alliance.
"If (it means) peace for Ukraine, if you really need me to leave my post, I am ready," an irritated-looking Zelenskyy said when asked during a press conference whether he was ready to leave his post if it meant securing peace.
"I can exchange this for NATO (membership), if that condition is there, immediately," the president added.
US President Donald Trump has pushed for elections to take place in Ukraine, having branded Zelenskyy a "dictator", an apparent reference to the Ukrainian leader's official five-year term running out in 2024. Russia has cited this in the past to assert that he is an illegitimate leader.
Ukrainian legislation prohibits holding elections during a state of martial law, which Ukraine declared the day Russia invaded in February 2022. Trump also falsely claimed that Zelenskyy has an approval rating of four percent.
"I am not going to be in power for decades, but we will not allow Putin to be in power over the territories of Ukraine either," Zelenskyy said on Sunday, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
A poll released this week put Zelenskyy's approval ratings at 63 per cent, and he made reference to this when talking about Trump's claims on Sunday, calling his false statements "dangerous".
"I believe it's not a mistake, it's misinformation that has an impact," Zelenskiy said.
Zelenskyy said earlier this week Trump was in a "disinformation bubble", angering the US President and his team. On Sunday, he sought to justify the earlier comments." (The information) about four percent of Ukrainians supporting me is one of the signals spread by the Russians, that's why I said it was a disinformation attack, I didn't say it was President Trump," Zelenskyy said on Sunday.
Trump's criticism of Zelenskyy came as relations between the two leaders deteriorated sharply in recent weeks.
Zelenskyy opposes the idea of elections in a full-scale war, a position backed by his major domestic political opponents.
The Ukrainian president also said he wanted to see Trump as a partner for Ukraine and more than a simply a mediator between Kyiv and Moscow.
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