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Trump also said he would attend a possible trilateral summit with Putin and Xi.
US President Donald Trump said on Monday that Russia “has been fine” regarding the war in Ukraine.
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Speaking to reporters, Trump made it clear that the real obstacle regarding a possible peace deal is not found in Moscow, but in Kyiv.
“Zelensky is a man that should’ve had this war settled a long time ago. If he would’ve listened to me, he would’ve made a much better deal a long time ago and he’d have a million people living… I think it’s time for somebody else to negotiate on behalf of Ukraine,” he told reporters.
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Turning to foreign aid, Trump voiced bitter frustration with Kyiv, remarking, “We’ve given a lot to Ukraine. They’ve given nothing to us. Remember that,” before adding that he does not want more people to die.
A frosty exchange
The harsh words follow a fresh diesel agreement between Washington and Moscow.
After finalizing that deal, Trump declared it was “harder to deal with” Zelensky than with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, arguing that delaying sanctions on Moscow was a move to avoid disrupting negotiations.
Kyiv refused to stay silent. Responding firmly, Zelensky pointed out that it was actually easier for him to “deal with” Trump than Putin, while reminding the world that Ukraine holds every right to defend its territory.
Yet Washington is already looking toward a different table.
Possible summit with Putin and Xi
In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said there were talks about a trilateral summit between Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping, but that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is unlikely to get an invitation.
Instead, the trilateral summit would see Russia, the US and China meet to discuss how the war should end.
Trump told reporters that the possible meeting would tackle nuclear weapons, denuclearization, and trade. Such a summit would be a positive event, Trump claimed, confirming he would gladly attend if Chairman Xi hosts.
