President Donald Trump has suggested that Ukraine could have reached a peace deal with Russia ‘much earlier’ in the war, which is now approaching its third year. His comments came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed surprise and disappointment over Ukraine’s exclusion from peace talks in Saudi Arabia, aimed at resolving the conflict.
Speaking to reporters at his Mar-a-Lago residence, Trump responded to questions from BBC News about Ukraine’s frustration over not being invited to the talks. “I hear that they’re upset about not having a seat, well, they’ve had a seat for three years and a long time before that. This could have been settled very easily,” Trump said. He continued, “You should have never started it. You could have made a deal.”
Trump went on to argue that, had he been in office, he could have brokered a deal that would have preserved most of Ukraine’s territory and avoided the widespread destruction and loss of life caused by the war. “I could have made a deal for Ukraine,” Trump added. “That would have given them almost all of the land, everything, almost all of the land and no people would have been killed, and no city would have been demolished.”
The war, which began in February 2022 with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, has caused significant casualties and the displacement of millions of Ukrainians. Despite setbacks, Russian forces continue to hold large parts of Ukrainian territory.
These remarks come after high-level talks between US and Russian officials in Riyadh, where Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met to discuss potential peace negotiations. Lavrov restated that Russia would not accept NATO peacekeeping forces in Ukraine as part of any peace settlement, an issue that had been raised in recent discussions among European NATO members.
Zelensky, who was excluded from the talks, expressed his dissatisfaction over not being part of the peace discussions. “We want everything to be fair and so that nobody decides anything behind our back,” Zelensky said during a news conference in Turkey. His reaction stems from the exclusion of Ukraine in crucial negotiations on the war’s resolution. “You cannot make decisions without Ukraine on how to end the war in Ukraine,” he added.
Trump also addressed the delay in elections in Ukraine, which have been postponed due to martial law. When asked whether Ukrainians should have a say in the peace process, Trump remarked, “Wouldn’t the people of Ukraine have a say? It’s been a long time since we’ve had an election.”
Despite Ukraine’s exclusion, Trump remained optimistic that he could help bring the war to an end. “I think I have the power to end this war,” Trump said, showing confidence that he could broker a peace deal.
Meanwhile, European leaders have expressed differing views on how to best support Ukraine. British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has emphasized the importance of a ‘US backstop’ to any peace agreement, while others, like German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, have cautioned against sending troops to Ukraine at this stage. Scholz called the idea of troop deployment ‘completely premature,’ highlighting the ongoing divisions within Europe regarding military involvement in Ukraine.