NEW YORK, Feb 20: As tensions between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky escalate, Trump has threatened that the ongoing war in Ukraine could be resolved through a deal with Russia—without Ukraine’s involvement.
In a post on Truth Social on Wednesday, Trump told Zelensky to “move fast or he is not going to have a country left,” further claiming that only he and his administration could successfully negotiate an end to the war.
Trump’s warning came in response to Zelensky’s complaints about Ukraine’s exclusion from recent talks between US and Russian diplomats in Riyadh. Zelensky, who expressed concern that any peace deal reached without Ukraine’s participation would be unacceptable, had earlier criticized Trump, accusing him of being “living in a web of disinformation.” In turn, Trump called Zelensky a “dictator without elections,” referring to Ukraine’s suspension of elections due to the ongoing war after his own five-year term as President ended.
The feud deepened after Trump accused Ukraine of instigating the war, despite Russia’s invasion of the country. Trump’s comments have raised concerns, as he appears to believe that he could unilaterally negotiate a peace agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin, leveraging his influence as a principal financial supporter of Ukraine’s efforts.
In a recent diplomatic development, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed the war in a four-hour session on Tuesday. Both sides reported progress, with Rubio stating that Russia was ready for a “serious process” to quickly end the conflict, and Lavrov calling the talks “useful.” One key outcome was an agreement to restore diplomatic relations by returning embassies to full operational status.
Trump also criticized the European contributions to the war effort, claiming that the US was shouldering an unfair financial burden. He pointed out that Ukraine had convinced the United States to spend $350 billion on a war that he believes “couldn’t be won” and “never had to start.” He further contended that without the US and his leadership, Ukraine would be unable to resolve the conflict.
Trump also took aim at his predecessor, Joe Biden, accusing him of being manipulated by Zelensky and failing to push for peace. The situation on the ground remains grim, with Russia controlling about 20 percent of Ukrainian territory, while Kyiv has only regained a small portion of the land around Kursk. Experts indicate that a peace deal may not result in Ukraine regaining all its territory, particularly since Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 and captured additional land in 2022.
US Defense Minister Pete Hegseth weighed in on the possibility of Ukraine returning to pre-2014 borders, asserting that it would be unrealistic to expect Ukraine to fully recover territory lost in Russia’s annexation of Crimea. He also ruled out the possibility of NATO membership for Ukraine, further complicating the prospects for a negotiated resolution to the war.
