US President Donald Trump has hinted that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky does not really care about seeking peace, while claiming that Russian President Vladimir Putin is willing to cease the current conflict.
"Zelensky doesn't have to continue talking about Putin in a negative way," Trump said to journalists as he left the White House. He maintained that the Ukrainian leader should instead show a clear interest in seeking peace.
Conversely, Trump indicated that Putin wants to negotiate to bring the war to an end. "He wants to make peace, he wants to bring it to an end," Trump said. He made the comment after a difficult meeting with Zelensky, which grew heated over an argument about US military aid and the amount of gratitude shown by the Ukrainian leader.
Asked if he was thinking of terminating military support to Ukraine, Trump skirted the issue, saying, "That's not the point. You all watched what occurred today. That's not a man who desires to make peace. My aim is to observe this war come to its conclusion."
Trump went on to explain, "Zelensky says he wants to go back to negotiations, but he's not making the moves. You can have a ceasefire immediately. If you want to end the war, you sign a deal—it will take some time, but it can be done. I want the war to end right now, and an actual ceasefire can make it happen. But he won't do it. Now he's playing big shot because he has our backing. Either we take this one step further or allow him to keep fighting, but without us, he is not going to win."
The Trump-Zelensky meeting ended on a bitter note, with their disagreement regarding the war and whether there should be a ceasefire or not being conducted in front of the international media at the White House.
Subsequently, Zelensky spoke on Fox News, admitting that the public conflict was disadvantageous to both sides. But he emphasized that Trump's accusations that Putin had offered to conclude the war were misdirected, repeating that Ukraine cannot unilaterally change its position without receiving assurances against renewed Russian action.
"This is very personal for our nation," Zelensky underscored. "They just need to understand that America is on our side, not Russia. That's all that counts."
Zelensky viewed the White House meeting as a chance to solidify Ukraine's partnership with the U.S. and not align with Putin, who instigated the war three years prior. The talk, however, became heated as Trump and Vice President Vance berated Zelensky for not expressing adequate gratitude for the support of America.
Although the discussion began cordially, with both leaders complimenting each other, tensions arose when Zelensky expressed doubt regarding Putin's words on peace. The atmosphere turned sour, with Zelensky growing defensive as Trump and Vance accused him of ingratitude and questioned further U.S. support.
"This is not the way we conduct business," Trump said as the two leaders spoke over one another about previous U.S. assistance. Vance interrupted, saying, "Just say thank you."
Zelensky pushed back, claiming he had thanked "many times" both the U.S. government and its people. After the meeting, he went on social media to again express his thanks, saying, "Thank you, America. Thank you for your support. Thank you, @POTUS, Congress, and the American people. Ukraine seeks a just and lasting peace, and we are working to get exactly that."
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