The U.S. helped Russian President Vladimir Putin to escape years of isolation, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in reference to recent U.S.-Russian talks in Saudi Arabia, writes kyivindependent.com.

A U.S. delegation led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio met on Feb. 18 with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, and Putin`s top aide, Yuri Ushakov, to discuss an end to the Russia-Ukraine war. The talks, which excluded Ukrainian representatives, marked the highest-level meeting between the U.S. and Russia since the outbreak of the full-scale invasion in 2022.

"The fact that they are discussing bilateral issues in Saudi Arabia is their right, but I believe that the U.S. helped Putin escape many years of isolation", Zelensky said during a press conference, adding that Ukraine is nevertheless "ready for anything".

Speaking at the press conference, Zelensky also referred to the Trump administration`s supposed claims that "90% of aid comes from the U.S.": "We understand that the truth is a little different, although we are certainly grateful for the assistance. I would like there to be more truth in Trump`s team".

Ukraine’s head of state refused claims that Washington has provided Kyiv with USD 500 billion in assistance since 2022, putting the figure at nearly USD 100 billion in military and financial support: "I think that Putin and the Russians are very happy because issues are being discussed with them. Yesterday, there were signals that they were being regarded as victims. That is something new".