Joanna Kakissis

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says he's exploring whether to hold a public referendum on the issue, though holding elections during wartime is against Ukraine's constitution.

The Trump administration is favoring Moscow in negotiations.

Lawmaker Ivana Klimpush-Tinsade says facing Russia without U.S.

support would be incredibly difficult.

But...

just to give in to the aggressor.

That is not something that we can agree upon after what we have gone through.

European leaders say they stand with Ukraine, but Europe's financial support to Ukraine has declined this year.

Joanna Kakissis, NPR News, Kyiv.

This probe is extensive.

It took 15 months, used about 1,000 iris of wiretaps.

There were seven alleged participants, including Timur Mindic.

He's a close business associate of Zelensky's.

Investigators say this group manipulated contracts at Enerho Adam.

which is Ukraine's state nuclear energy company, and they got kickbacks laundering roughly $100 million.

The scandal has forced the resignation of two ministers in Zelensky's government so far, but Zelensky has not been implicated in this probe, and he is calling for the prosecution of those accused of committing crimes.

Zelensky made the comments during a closed-door meeting with media that included NPR.

He said the Kremlin has long insisted that Ukraine withdraw from two eastern regions, Donetsk and Luhansk, which are partly controlled by Russia.

Zelensky said Russian President Vladimir Putin wants these regions to show that he has, quote, won this war, but that Russia will attack Ukraine again.

Zelensky seemed to downplay reports that his meeting with Trump in Washington on Friday was unusually tense, adding that Ukraine shares Trump's, quote, positive outlook to end the war.