US President Donald Trump said that Volodymyr Zelensky does not want to reach a deal to end the war in Ukraine and suggested that the country needs a new leader capable of negotiating a deal.
“I suggest that Ukraine has a new leader who can make deals. He could have made a lot of deals, but for some reason he never does“, Trump told journalists, quoted by the Associated Press.
The American president added that in his opinion, Zelensky should have accepted a deal two years ago. According to him, then the Ukrainian president would be in a “much more advantageous position“.
The dispute escalated after the agreement on Russian diesel
Trump's statements came a day after he announced an agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin to increase supplies of Russian diesel to the world market. The American president presented the agreement as a measure against high fuel prices in the United States.
For weeks, Trump has been demanding that Ukraine stop attacking Russian refineries and energy facilities. He accused Zelensky of Kiev's actions creating problems for world markets, American farmers and the transportation sector.
Zelensky criticized the agreements between Washington and Moscow. The Ukrainian president said that easing sanctions on Russia without a lasting reduction in tensions constitutes support for the continuation of the war.
Washington continues contacts with Kiev and Moscow
Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and the president's son-in-law Jared Kushner held talks with Ukrainian and European representatives in Miami. According to CNN, the meeting was aimed at finding common ground for a proposal for an energy ceasefire to be presented to the Russian side.
In response to a question about whether Witkoff and Kushner would be sent to Moscow, Trump said that Russia wanted to reach an agreement and that the issue had been discussed several times.
Reuters reported that a possible visit by the two US representatives to Moscow was being discussed, but no date or confirmed program had been announced at the moment. The next step in diplomatic contacts remains unclear.
The positions of Washington and Kiev continue to diverge on the terms of a possible agreement. Trump insists on a quick end to the war, while the Ukrainian leadership says that any agreement must include real security guarantees and prevent Russia from using the pause for a new offensive.
Sources: apnews.com, marketscreener.com, prod.transcripts.cnn.com