US leader Donald Trump said that the Russian armed forces and Russia "have not even come close to doing what they could have done" in Ukraine. The US president said this on October 19 while speaking with journalists, reports UNN.
Details
It all began with Trump's conversation with media representatives about peace talks in Russia's war against Ukraine. The head of the White House said he could discuss the issue with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
But for now, I think he has been quite fair on the issue of Ukraine. He has not been overly involved, and the same applies to Russia. They have not done nearly as much as they could have, and I appreciate that. They know that I appreciate it
What else Donald Trump said about the war in Ukraine
Trump also suggested changing Ukraine's representative at the peace talks. The American leader believes that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is not doing enough to help end the war with Russia, and therefore peace talks on behalf of Ukraine should be entrusted to someone else.
Commenting on Zelenskyy's statement that the US president had ended up on the wrong side of history, Trump criticized the Ukrainian leader and accused him of delaying a peaceful settlement.
Did Zelenskyy say that? Zelenskyy does not understand what he is talking about. Zelenskyy is a person who should have settled this war long ago. If he had listened to me, he would have reached a much better deal long ago, and one million fewer people would have died on the Ukrainian side
The American president also claims that the front line has practically not changed, while Ukraine has suffered significant human losses.
Trump also once again mentioned his meeting with Zelenskyy in the Oval Office of the White House, saying that the Ukrainian President could have reached agreements much earlier.
And, frankly speaking, I think it is time for someone else to conduct negotiations on behalf of Ukraine. Because here is what happened: the front line has practically not moved, but one million people is a huge number of deaths. Ukraine is losing its male population. Ukraine could have settled this issue long ago
At the same time, he did not specify whom exactly he would like to see as Ukraine's representative at the peace talks. He also did not announce any official decisions by Washington regarding a change in the negotiating format.
Context
Trump's statements came amid heightened tensions in relations between Washington and Kyiv following the US administration's decision to ease some of the sanctions pressure on Russia. The day before, the US president said he did not want to take measures that could force Moscow to withdraw from peace talks.
At the same time, he accused Zelenskyy of being unwilling to end the war. For his part, the Ukrainian president had earlier criticized Washington's decision regarding Russian energy resources, emphasizing that easing pressure on the Kremlin could contribute to the continuation of Russian aggression.
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