Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview today that it was “painful” that Donald Trump had sided with the other party in Ukraine’s ongoing war with Russia, after the US president said Zelensky should be replaced.

Speaking on Piers Morgan Uncensored, Zelensky said: “It’s painful when President Trump chooses one side, and it’s not ours.” He also said he had no problem with Trump being in the middle between Ukraine and Russia, but added: “If you’re in the middle, you have to stay in the middle.”

Asked whether he had felt betrayed by Trump, who called for a new president to take office in Ukraine over the weekend after agreeing to lift sanctions on Russian diesel exports, Zelensky replied: “Actually, yes… but the issue is a little more complicated than my feelings or emotions.”

“It’s a shame that we’re losing a strong partner,” he added. Zelensky also said: “We’re not selling our country… for us, this is not a business issue; it’s our very lives, and this is our country.”

Volodymyr Zelensky, who is visiting London, said alongside British Prime Minister Andy Burnham that it was disappointing that his country had encountered difficulties with Starlink services and intelligence sharing. He added that he had been surprised by developments in Ukraine’s cooperation with the United States.

“It’s sad that we’ve faced some difficulties… with Starlink, with intelligence sharing. I mean, there have been many different surprises that you can’t predict when there is genuine cooperation, and we rely on cooperation with the US,” Zelensky said.

“We simply want to be completely honest, absolutely clear, and to be strong partners,” he added.

Zelensky made the remarks in London as Britain seeks to demonstrate its support for the Ukrainian leader amid worsening relations between him and the United States.

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said during a meeting with MPs that he would try to restore relations between Ukraine and the United States.

Burnham made the statement after Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey asked the British prime minister whether he agreed that the US-Russia agreement on diesel supplies represented “another shameful betrayal by Trump of the Ukrainian people and European security.”