President Donald Trump is ready to end the war in Ukraine, but not until Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy plays nice with the country that invaded.
Following a disastrous summit between Trump and Zelenskyy in the Oval Office on Friday, Trump told reporters that the Ukrainian president is simply too “negative” about Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“He’s gotta say, ‘I want to make peace.’ He doesn’t have to stand there and say ‘Putin this, Putin that.’ All negative things,” Trump said. “His people are dying.”
The statement from Trump was merely the latest attempt to ice Ukraine out of the peacemaking process. The Trump administration has been engaged in peace talks in Saudi Arabia that notably don’t feature any representatives of Ukraine. Zelenskyy has promised to reject any deal that comes out of those talks.
After Friday’s meeting, in which Vice President JD Vance accused Zelenskyy of disrespecting Trump and the United States, Trump said that American aid is keeping Ukraine away from the negotiating table.
“It’s amazing what comes out through emotion, and I have determined that President Zelenskyy is not ready for Peace if America is involved because he feels our involvement gives him a big advantage in negotiations,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “I don’t want advantage, I want PEACE. He disrespected the United States of America in its cherished Oval Office. He can come back when he is ready for Peace.”
Speaking to reporters, Trump continued to stress that Zelenskyy did not have the advantage in negotiations.
“You can’t embolden somebody that doesn’t have the cards,” he said.
In an interview with Fox News’s Bret Baier, Zelenskyy admitted it would be “difficult” to fight Russia without U.S. support. However, he said he’s not willing to say “Putin is a great guy” after years of war.
“We can’t lose our people. We can’t lose our freedom,” he said. “Russia came to our territory. Russia came to our houses…They killed so many people. [You expect us] just to forget?”
