A face-to-face meeting between the Ukrainian and Russian leaders is needed "to truly ensure a lasting peace," Zelensky said late on Saturday.

Russian forces have reportedly established a deadly "killing area" around the strategic town of Konstantinovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), placing Ukrainian troops at severe risk of encirclement.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is “not ready for compromises” to end his brutal war, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told The Post in an exclusive interview on Wednesday — but President Trump has the power to bring him to his knees by speeding up tough sanctions that could cause a “social explosion” in Russia.

Trump wanted to "make them feel the pain," as he put it on the July 4 call, the Financial Times reported, and force Russia into peace negotiations. Zelensky said Ukraine could hit the cities if the U.S. supplied the weapons, per the Post.

Trump’s decision to allow weapon sales to Ukraine culminated a five-month effort by allies to help Volodymyr Zelensky rebuild a relationship with the president.

"Ukraine has two enemies, two Vladimir: Zelensky and Putin," the publication quotes an unnamed Ukrainian ex-minister who once ardently supported Zelensky.

New reports show that U.S. President Donald Trump urged his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, to go on the offensive during a phone call.