In Russia, President Putin said Ukraine was not left out of the peace negotiations process, but stressed that the success of the negotiations would depend on the level of trust between Russia and the US.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump criticized the Ukrainian president for the low percentage of Ukrainian people supporting him, saying that Mr. Zelensky should act quickly.
The Ukrainian president has denied Mr Trump's claim that Ukraine must bear responsibility for the conflict with Russia in 2022, and said the US president is stuck in a "resort of Russian misinformation".
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha affirmed that no one can force their country to surrender: "We will protect our right to exist".
Mr Zelensky also said that the information about his support at only 4% was distorted and propaganda from Russia. According to the latest survey results of the Kiev International Institute of Sociology in early February, 57% of Ukrainians trust Mr. Zelensky.
A few hours before being criticized by Trump, Mr. Zelensky met with Mr. Trump's Ukrainian special envoy, Keith Kellogg, in Kiev. He stressed that Trump's team needed to understand "more truth" about Ukraine.
In the context of the controversy, Mr. Trump also mentioned the possibility of meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin this month. However, the Kremlin said such a meeting would take time to prepare. Russia's National Assets Fund also revealed that some US companies could return to Russia in the second quarter of this year.
Mr. Putin also emphasized that a meeting with Mr. Trump is necessary but cannot simply "sitting down to drink tea, coffee and talk about the future". The two sides need to prepare important issues to find acceptable solutions.
Meanwhile, Ukraine and European governments were not invited to attend the latest talks between Russia and the US in the capital of Saudi Arabia. This raises concerns that the two powers could reach an agreement without taking into account the security interests of Ukraine and Europe.
Mr Trump also said Europe must play a bigger role in securing a ceasefire. For his part, Mr Zelensky suggested that US companies could exploit mineral resources in Ukraine in exchange for US security guarantees, but said Mr Trump did not mention this in his statements.
