President Donald Trump tore in Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zenskyy after American negotiators had opened conversations with Russia without him who are meant to find a way to end the Russian war against Ukraine.
Trump blamed Zolensky for not going off the war in his country, and the president said he himself was behind a push to demand Ukraine that he would hold new elections before a peace plan could continue.
“You now have leadership that a war has passed that should never have happened, even without the United States,” said Trump of his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida on Tuesday-even as he said: “I personally like him personally “If you're talking about Zensky.
“You should have ended it – you should never have started it for three years,” he said, and seemed to blame Zensky for the Russian invasion of 2022.
Trump offered a positive assessment when he was asked about the conversations and said that he was 'much more confident' than before the meeting of Tuesday between State Secretary Marco Rubio, adviser to the national security of the White House Mike Waltz, the Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov and Vladimir Putin Aide Yuri Ushakov. Trump said the conversations were 'very good'.
“Russia wants to do something. They want to stop the wild barbarism, “Trump said, amidst reports that the new drone attacks had launched on Kyiv after the conversations had ended.
President Trump tore in the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zensky in comments in Mar-A-Lago and blaming for the Russian war in his country. “You should have ended it – you should never have started three years,” Trump said
Trump spoke with reporters, whether he would accept the urge of Russia for new elections in Ukraine-Fearing that the Kremlin would install a pro-Moscow puppet regime. Trump indicated that he was for the idea.
'We have a situation in which we have not had elections in Ukraine, where we have the state of siege, essentially state of siege in Ukraine, where the leader in Ukraine – I mean, I hate to say it, but he is he is With 4 percent approval rating, and where a country is blown up in blacksmith. '
Then Trump described part of the massive destruction in Ukraine, suggesting that Moscow could have imposed even more if it wanted.
'You have most cities on their sides. The buildings have collapsed. It looks like a huge demolition location. The whole – I mean, so many cities, I mean, they didn't do it in Kiev because, I think they don't want to shoot too many rockets there. They did it 20%, but they didn't do it 100%. If they wanted to do it 100%, it would probably happen very quickly, but you have cities that are absolutely decimated.
'And yes, I would say that you know, they want a chair at the table, you could say that people should, the people of Ukraine should not say, like, you know, it has been a long time ago since we have an election have had?
“That is not Russia, thing. That comes from me and also comes from many other countries, “said Trump.
Zensky has demanded that Ukraine will be included in any conversations about the future
Smoke rises in the air over the city after a Russian drone strike, amidst Russia attack on Ukraine, in Kiev, Ukraine 17 February 2025. The attack came after the American Russian conversations in Saudi Arabia ended in Saudi Arabia
Trump emphasized the thousands of military deaths on both sides, although Ukrainian citizens also suffered under a relentless Russian fire. A general picture of the bombed Zoopark BiLYTSKE on 17 February 2025 in BiLYTSKE, Ukraine. All primates, birds, bears and large cats, such as tigers and panters, were evacuated for the frequent bomb attacks by Russian troops
Asked to respond to Ukraine who was omitted from the first conversations, Trump spoke about the death toll of thousands instead. “And I think I have the power to end this war,” he said.
Former Biden NSC spokesperson Sean Savett placed on X, 'sounds like Trump has bought Putin's propaganda, line and zinc shell. A memory that nobody needed: Putin did not start the war through Ukraine and his forces have committed war crimes against the Ukrainian people. Russia is the party responsible for this war. '
Zensky has demanded that Ukraine is involved in any peace talks, of which Trump indicated could already start this month.
Trump also commented on the potential for European troops that played a peace role in the case of a ceasefiring. 'If they want to do that, that's great. I'm completely for it. If they want to do that, I think that would be good. “Regarding the American armed forces:” We don't have to put it on it, because you know, we are very far away, “Trump said.
That was after Lavrov destroyed the peace plans of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and said that NATO countries cannot patrol with the border of Russia with Ukraine 'under a different flag'.
'Every appearance by forces under a different flag does not change anything. It is of course completely unacceptable, “said Lavrov.
Trump rejected complaints from Ukrainian leaders about the fact that they were omitted outside their fate. It was a sharp turnaround of the mantra of the Biden administration of 'no Ukraine without Ukraine', while sent billions to military aid.
'And I think I have the power to end this war, and I think things are going very well. But today I heard, oh, well, we were not invited. Well, you've been there for three years. You should have ended it – you should never have started three years. You could have closed a deal, “Trump complained.
'I could have concluded a deal for Ukraine who would have given them almost all the country, everything, almost all land, and no people would have been killed, and no city would have been demolished, and no dome would have been down. But they chose not to do it that way.
Trump remarks then came to the American and Russia Eye Kenterwerk in the field of arctic oil drilling. Kirill Dmitriev, the head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), said Polito that the two parties discussed 'specific cooperation areas'.
'It was more of a general discussion – perhaps joint projects in the Arctic. We specifically discussed the Arctic, “he said.
He also spoke with the New York Times about the potential for American oil and gas companies to return to projects in Russia, which ended in the years after Russia seized Crimea from Ukraine.
“American Oliemajors have had very successful things in Russia,” he said. “We believe that they will come back at some point, because why would they abandon these opportunities that Russia gave them to gain access to Russian natural resources?”
