❓WHAT HAPPENED: President Donald J. Trump stated that Ukraine, not Russia, is holding up a potential peace deal to end the war that began with Russia’s invasion in 2022.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: President Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
📍WHEN & WHERE: Trump made the remarks during an interview in the Oval Office on Wednesday.
💬KEY QUOTE: “I think he’s ready to make a deal. I think Ukraine is less ready to make a deal.” – Donald Trump
🎯IMPACT: President Trump said he would be open to sitting down with Zelensky later this month at the World Economic Forum (WEF) summit in Davos, Switzerland, to discuss the proposed peace plan further.
Ukraine, not Russia, is holding up peace talks that could bring to an end a nearly four-year-long war between the two nations, President Donald J. Trump revealed on Wednesday. Speaking in the Oval Office, Trump stated that Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to end the war, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky remains on the fence. The conflict began in 2022 with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, with an estimated 1.4 million killed on both sides since.
“I think he’s ready to make a deal,” President Trump said, referring to Putin, adding: “I think Ukraine is less ready to make a deal.”
Pressed further as to why U.S. mediation had not yet produced a peace agreement, Trump replied, “Zelensky.” The America First leader declined to elaborate further on the Ukrainian leader’s motivations for delaying peace talks, but noted that Zelensky appears to be “having a hard time” accepting the concessions necessary for a peace deal.
Still, President Trump said he would be open to sitting down with Zelensky later this month at the World Economic Forum (WEF) summit in Davos, Switzerland. On Wednesday, Zelensky appeared to signal openness to continued discussions with the U.S., writing on X (formerly Twitter), “Work with America on security guarantees, on economic agreements, and on the political document needs to be swift. On our end, we are being as productive as possible. We also expect energy from the American side in their work.”
Meanwhile, President Trump also stated he was unaware of recent reports regarding a possible trip to Moscow involving White House special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
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