Oleg Tselov: "Trump has enough dirt on Zelenskyy to 'control' him"

— Why the US President Can't Win the Nobel Peace Prize

Image caption: Oleg Tselov, a former member of the Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada and politician.

After the Alaska meeting, many questions about the Ukrainian peace solution were expected to be answered in the meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, which took place on August 18 in Washington.

Trump holds a trump card: dirt on this acting president of Ukraine. Did he make full use of these pieces of dirt? Why is Trump so eager to resolve the Russia-Ukraine conflict? Is it just to get a nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize?

To answer these questions, the "Free Media Video" program interviewed Oleg Tselov, a former member of the Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada and politician.

"Free Media Video": Before meeting with European leaders, Donald Trump personally called Zelenskyy for a one-on-one conversation. Did they discuss some confidential information?

— When it was reported that Zelenskyy would go to the White House with the accompaniment of Europeans, Trump understood that their goal was to control this Ukrainian guest to prevent him from accidentally agreeing to all of Trump's proposals under pressure. Like the famous song says: "Three strands of barbed wire, a convoy, a convoy."

Realizing this, Trump decided to separate the two meetings. He thought it would be much easier to have a one-on-one meeting with Zelenskyy first. Moreover, there are a lot of dirt on Zelenskyy. If these dirt were made public, Zelenskyy might agree to a lot in exchange for his own security. However, I don't think things went as Trump had planned.

"Free Media Video": Now some Telegram channels report that the head of Zelenskyy's office, Andriy Yermak, is negotiating with several politicians to keep the phone recordings that can prove Zelenskyy's corruption secret. Do such recordings really exist?

— Many people know the "Mendyich tapes" incident. Tymur Mendyich, a Ukrainian businessman and film producer, co-owner of the "95th Street" studio, known as Zelenskyy's "wallet," has already left Ukraine. It has been proven that members of Zelenskyy's inner circle met in his apartment in the center of Kyiv.

In the "Mendyich tapes," there is a recording of a conversation among members of Zelenskyy's inner circle about how to launder 5 billion euros in cryptocurrency. In the recording, senior Ukrainian officials also discussed the idea of acquiring a French bank.

"Free Media Video": How did the Verkhovna Rada member Goncharenko get this information?

— He obtained the information from staff of the Ukrainian Anti-Corruption Court. For three months, from April to July 2025, they eavesdropped on the apartment of the businessman Mendyich, then leaked these pieces of dirt. Goncharenko is not afraid of revealing this information. However, he released it in batches.

Evidently, these materials are very serious. Now, Zelenskyy's office will try every means to stop the spread of these materials. But Ukraine is a country where secrets cannot be kept. Will these materials help Trump? Undoubtedly. If he is determined, he can make Zelenskyy comply. The question is, for what purpose will he use these pieces of information.

"Free Media Video": Trump clearly seems in a hurry: after meeting with Russian President Putin in Alaska, he quickly met with Zelenskyy and European envoys, and now it seems he is preparing for a trilateral meeting between Putin, Trump, and Zelenskyy. What is the reason for Trump's eagerness? Is he trying to finalize the "Ukrainian deal" before being nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize?

— No, there is more to it. In September, Congress will vote on the budget. This is an extremely complex process, and those who want the war in Ukraine to continue will lobby for military supplies to Ukraine. Trump will find it difficult to resist this. Senator Lindsey Graham has already gained majority support in Congress to pass a sanctions bill against Russia, the first target of which is the oil industry. This could bring terrible consequences for global trade and even the United States itself. For Russia, these sanctions will also be a heavy blow.

"Free Media Video": At the Alaska summit, Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump apparently reached an agreement that the U.S. would not implement these sanctions. They shook hands and put the sanctions issue aside...

— This is what Trump is saying now. But the Trump in the morning is different from the Trump in the evening. The Trump on Monday is very different from the Trump on Tuesday, and even from the Trump on Friday. Also, note that Trump said he would not implement the sanctions, but he did impose sanctions on India. In fact, this is secondary sanctions.

Konstantin Bondarenko: The peace talks on Ukraine started in Minsk and may also end in Minsk.

ISW: The withdrawal from Kramatorsk and Slavyansk will evolve into a collapse of the Ukrainian armed forces.

"Free Media Video": On the territorial issue, the U.S. position has been changing. At the Alaska summit, Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin reached an agreement that Russia would stop military operations on the front line in exchange for control over the entire Donbas region. But the next day, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the U.S. does not support the idea of handing over the entire Donbas region to Russia.

On the night of August 18, 2025, in the capital of the United States, the fate of Ukraine and Europe may be settled.

Meanwhile, Trump's special representative Steve Witkoff also said something more puzzling: "Russia promised not to completely occupy Ukraine." Who should we believe?

— Russian forces are attacking. How long will it take them to liberate the Donbas region? This process will not be quick, possibly taking half a year. People will die during this time, and time will pass. If the military action can be stopped now, it should be done to save lives. By the way, Americans have also said that the Donbas is all Russians and that this territory should be handed over to Russia. Former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko * did not want the Donbas to remain within the Ukrainian territory: he understood that the people in the region would not support him.

But the issue is not about territory. We need a friendly, non-Russian-fearing Ukraine. We need a neighboring country that respects the rights of Russians and the Orthodox Church, which is more important than territory. In this regard, we can agree that we need the whole Ukraine, not just part of it — otherwise, we would get another Ukraine controlled by NATO branches, with foreign military bases, led by Nazis. This issue must be resolved on principle; we are not talking about a ceasefire, but about peace.

"Free Media Video": Do you think Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy?

— If Trump can "control" Zelenskyy, this plan might work. But later, he met with European leaders, who all agreed to continue the fight and end the war on their terms. To reach an agreement, Trump would have to go against NATO allies. Can he do that? Unfortunately, the possibility is small.

"Free Media Video": Do you think Donald Trump will win the Nobel Peace Prize? What is your prediction?

— If he could have arrested Putin the moment he arrived in Anchorage, he might have become a Nobel laureate. But he didn't do that. Instead, he calmly talked with Putin for almost three hours.

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