Comments have been made when prominent Trump allies have expanded pressure on Zelensky and dramatically changed their approach to the US president, and he has quickly made war a top priority or put it aside.
The long and complicated relationship between leaders has reached Nadir after a disastrous White House meeting in which President Trump and Vice President JD Vance expanded upon Vice President Zelensky’s lack of sufficient gratitude for US support in Ukraine since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion in February 2022.
“This is the worst statement that could have been made by Zelenskyy, and America will not hold back much longer!” Trump said in a post about his true social platform about comments Zelensky made late Sunday, speaking to a London reporter.
Trump has had issues with Zelensky and suggested it will take some time to reach an agreement to end the war. The Ukrainian leader also sought to provide a positive view on the U.S.-Ukrainian relationship in the aftermath of last week’s White House meeting.
Asked by a reporter about an overview of the new European initiative to end the Russian war, Zelensky said, “We’re talking about the first steps today. So, until they’re on paper, I don’t want to talk about them in detail.” “The agreement to end the war is still very, very far away, and no one has yet begun all these steps,” he added. But Trump was only even more annoyed by Zelensky’s suggestion that it would take some time for the conflict to end.
“That’s what I was saying. This guy doesn’t want peace as long as he has American support. Europe said frankly at a meeting with Zelensky that he can’t do his job without the US. “What are they thinking?”
Zelenskyy joined social media shortly after Trump’s latest criticism. He did not directly mention Trump’s comments, but emphasized that “it is very important that we try to truly make our diplomacy substantive in order to end this war the earliest possible.”
“We need real peace and Ukrainians are ruining our cities and towns, so we want it most,” Zelensky added. “We’re losing people. We need to stop the war and ensure safety.”
Trump’s national security adviser said Zelenskyy’s stance on Friday was “listed in the air” and that he is in discussions whether the US administration can handle it in the future.
“Is he ready, personally and politically, to move his country towards the end of the battle?” Mike Waltz said early Monday on Fox News’ “American Newsroom.” “And will he and he need a compromise?”
The Waltz added another layer of doubt about US support as other well-known Trump allies suggest that Trump and Zelensky’s relationship is becoming unacceptable.
House Speaker Mike Johnson said on Sunday that Zelensky “needs to come to his senses and return to the table with gratitude, or someone else needs to lead the country.”
Sen. Lindsey Graham, a Trump ally who was a vocal supporter in Ukraine, said shortly after the oval office meeting, Zelensky “will need to resign and send someone whether we can do business or if he needs to change.”
Angela Stent, former national intelligence director for Russia and Eurasia at the National Intelligence Council, said it is likely that Putin will never end the war amid the rift between Trump and Zelensky, Europe and the United States.
“He’s not interested in ending the war,” said Stent, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institute in Washington. “He thinks Russia is winning… and he thinks that over time the West will be more fractured.”
