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David Smith – The Guardian Feb 19, 2025

President Donald Trump has criticised Volodymyr Zelenskyy, saying he was “disappointed” that the Ukrainian leader complained about being left out of talks between the US and Russia over ending the Ukraine war.

Trump also seemed to blame Kyiv for Moscow’s invasion – even as he said he was more confident of a deal to end the war after US-Russia talks – claiming Ukraine could have “made a deal” to avert war.

“I’m very disappointed, I hear that they’re upset about not having a seat [at the talks],” Trump told reporters at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida when asked about the Ukrainian reaction. The US president said a “half baked” negotiator could have secured a settlement years ago “without the loss of much land”.

“Today I heard, ‘oh, well, we weren’t invited.’ Well, you’ve been there for three years … You should have never started it. You could have made a deal,” he said.

Speaking in Florida on Tuesday night, Trump increased pressure on Zelenskyy to hold elections – echoing one of Moscow’s key demands.

The US president also suggested that he could meet Russian President Vladimir Putin before the end of the month as Washington overhauls its stance towards Russia in a shift that has alarmed European leaders.

Zelenskyy had earlier on Tuesday criticised the US-Russia talks for excluding Kyiv, saying efforts to end the war must be “fair” and involve European countries, while postponing his own trip to Saudi Arabia, where the US-Russia talks took place.

Talks “are taking place between representatives of Russia and representatives of the United States of America. About Ukraine – about Ukraine again – and without Ukraine,” he said.

The Ukrainian president’s comments appeared to anger Trump, who proceeded to launch a series of attacks on Zelenskyy, who has led Kyiv’s fight against Russia’s February 2022 invasion.

Asked whether the US would support Russia’s demands to force Zelenskyy to hold new elections as part of any deal, Trump said: “They want a seat at the table, but you could say … wouldn’t the people of Ukraine have a say? It’s been a long time since we’ve had an election.

“That’s not a Russian thing, that’s something coming from me, from other countries.

“We have a situation where we haven’t had elections in Ukraine, where we have essentially martial law in Ukraine, where the leader in Ukraine – I mean, I hate to say it, but he’s down at 4% approval rating – and where a country has been blown to smithereens. Most of the cities are laying on their sides. The buildings are collapsed. It looks like a massive demolition site.”

In an interview with German public broadcaster ARD aired on Tuesday, Zelenskyy defended his popularity, saying: “I’m president of Ukraine because 73% of people voted for me. And today I’m president because the majority in my country support me. I’m a patriot, just like the people defending our country.

“Of course Russia wants to get rid of me. Maybe not physically any longer, like they did at the beginning of the war but politically. And that’s absolutely understandable as I’m a very uncomfortable person, uncomfortable for Putin.”

Zelensky was elected in 2019 for a five-year term, but has remained in office as Ukraine is still under martial law.

Sean Savett, who was spokesperson for the White House National Security Council under then president Joe Biden, said in a social media post: “Sounds like Trump bought Putin’s propaganda hook, line, and sinker.

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Also see:

Diplomacy Watch: Did Boris Johnson help stop a peace deal in Ukraine?

A recent piece in Foreign Affairs revealed that Kyiv and Moscow may have had a tentative deal to end the war all the way back in April.

Conner Echols – Responsible Statecraft Sept 2022

Russia and Ukraine may have agreed on a tentative deal to end the war in April, according to a recent piece in Foreign Affairs.

“Russian and Ukrainian negotiators appeared to have tentatively agreed on the outlines of a negotiated interim settlement,” wrote Fiona Hill and Angela Stent. “Russia would withdraw to its position on February 23, when it controlled part of the Donbas region and all of Crimea, and in exchange, Ukraine would promise not to seek NATO membership and instead receive security guarantees from a number of countries.”

The news highlights the impact of former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s efforts to stop negotiations, as journalist Branko Marcetic noted on Twitter. The decision to scuttle the deal coincided with Johnson’s April visit to Kyiv, during which he reportedly urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to break off talks with Russia for two key reasons: Putin cannot be negotiated with, and the West isn’t ready for the war to end.

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