Washington DC [US], July 29 (ANI): Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday (local time) said President Donald Trump, Ukraine and European allies all want to end the war with Russia, but accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of refusing even a temporary ceasefire, stressing that stronger pressure and sanctions remain necessary.

In an interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity, Zelenskyy said Ukraine continues to push for diplomacy but alleged that Moscow has rejected those efforts.

'We want to stop this war. President Trump wants to stop this war, and the Europeans want to stop it. Putin doesn't. We are asking every day to negotiate at least a ceasefire for some period of time and give diplomats the opportunity to negotiate. But Putin doesn't want that. That's the problem. That's why we need to respond. We need to be tough. We need to be strong. And we're counting on sanctions. By the way, Lindsey's bill was very important,' Zelenskyy said.

Referring to the late Senator Lindsey Graham, Zelenskyy praised his longstanding support for Ukraine, saying Graham had stood by Kyiv since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion.

'A lot of things have changed because of people like Lindsey. I really wanted to come here to support his family and to thank him on behalf of our nation. Why? Because of Lindsey. He has been one of Ukraine's strongest supporters from the very beginning. He truly believed that Putin could not occupy Ukraine. And he couldn't--that's true,' Zelenskyy said.

The Ukrainian President noted that Graham had visited Ukraine 10 times during the war, including areas close to the front lines.

'Lindsey came to Ukraine 10 times during the war, visiting different places, including areas very close to the front lines. We've become friends, and I'm very thankful for his support, his trust, and his belief in Ukraine,' he said.

Zelenskyy also highlighted the growth of Ukraine's domestic defence industry since the start of the conflict. 'Since the beginning of the war, when Putin said he would occupy us in two or three days, we have built a great military technology industry. We now have 500 companies with very strong technologies supporting our soldiers on the front lines,' he said.

Claiming that Russia is sustaining heavy battlefield losses, Zelenskyy said, 'Putin is now losing 30,000 soldiers a month. Those are enormous losses. As President Trump says, there have been many losses. But Putin still doesn't want to stop this war.'

He added that the balance of momentum had shifted in Ukraine's favour. 'Now the initiative is no longer in Putin's hands, and that is the biggest change,' Zelenskyy said.