Frustrated Trump calls for Ukrainian election after Zelenskyy seemingly torpedoes another peace opportunity
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has effectively torpedoed President Donald Trump's peace plan.
After his meeting on Monday with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and French President Emmanuel Macron — who reportedly suggested last week that the U.S. might "betray" Ukraine — Zelenskyy reportedly told reporters that Kyiv will not cede any territory to Russia.
'A lot of people are dying. So it would be really good if he'd read it. His people loved the proposal.'
"We have no right to give anything away — not under our laws, not under international law, not under moral law," said Zelenskyy, reported the New York Post. "Russia is, of course, insisting that we give up territory. We, of course, do not want to give up anything — that is precisely what we are fighting for, as you are well aware."
Zelenskyy, whom Trump accused in February of "gambling with the lives of millions of people," added, "To be honest, the Americans are looking for a compromise today."
Russia, which has slowly captured additional territory over the past year, presently occupies around 20% of the entire country and most of the Donbas — including all of the Luhansk region, most of the largely Russian-speaking Donetsk region, much of the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, and parts of the Sumy and Kharkiv regions.
Under the Trump administration's initial 28-point peace plan, embraced by Moscow but rejected by Kyiv and European leaders,
- the U.S. would recognize Crimea, Luhansk, and Donetsk as de facto Russian;
- Kherson and Zaporizhzhia would be divided along the current line of contact;
- Russia would cede other territories under its control outside the five regions; and
- Ukrainian forces would abandon the part of Donetsk Oblast currently under their control, leaving it as a demilitarized buffer zone.
Trump has long maintained that Kyiv will have to make some territorial concessions to bring an end to war that has resulted in millions of casualties. In August, for instance, the president said that while the U.S. seeks to negotiate for some of the Russia-occupied territories back for Ukraine, inevitably "there will be some land swapping going on. I know that through Russia and through conversations with everybody."
On Monday, Zelenskyy suggested that he and Trump see things differently, stating that Trump "certainly wants to end the war. ... Surely, he has his own vision. We live here, from within we see details and nuances, we perceive everything much deeper, because this is our motherland."
'It gets to a point where it's not a democracy anymore.'
Trump said in an interview with Politico on Monday that while he credits the Ukrainian people for their bravery in defending their homeland, Russia is presently in the stronger negotiating position and "size will win, generally." Accordingly Ukraine has to "play ball," suggested the president, who was uncertain about whether Zelenskyy had even bothered to read the latest peace proposals.
"That's as of yesterday. Maybe he's read it over the night," said Trump. "It would be nice if he would read it. You know, a lot of people are dying. So it would be really good if he'd read it. His people loved the proposal. They really liked it. His lieutenants, his top people, they liked it, but they said he hasn't read it yet. I think he should find time to read it."
Zelenskyy indicated this week that he will provide Washington with his views on the current U.S. peace plan — which has reportedly shed eight of the original points Zelenskyy characterized as "anti-Ukrainian" — on Tuesday night but not until he discusses with European leaders the "reparations loan and security guarantees" he regards as critical to the peace process.
When asked what would happen if Zelenskyy rejected the deal, Trump said, "He's gonna have to get on the ball and start accepting things." As for the European leaders who appear keen to involve themselves in the process, Trump said, "They talk but they don't produce, and the war just keeps going on and on."
Trump noted further that it's time now — 18 months after Zelenskyy's term was originally scheduled to end and in the midst of an ever-worsening corruption scandal involving Zelenskyy's administration and close allies — for a Ukrainian presidential election.
"It's been a long time," said Trump.
"I think it's an important time to hold an election. They're using war not to hold an election, but I would think the Ukrainian people would, should have that choice. And maybe Zelenskyy would win. I don't know who would win. But they haven't had an election in a long time. You know, they talk about a democracy, but it gets to a point where it's not a democracy anymore."
Zelenskyy said in a statement on Tuesday, "We are committed to a real peace and remain in constant contact with the United States. And as our partners in the negotiating teams rightly note, everything depends on whether Russia is ready to take effective steps to stop the bloodshed and prevent the war from reigniting."
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Photographer: Nathan Laine/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Photo Illustration by Sheldon Cooper/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
Photographer: Aaron Schwartz/Sipa/Bloomberg via Getty Images
“Every subsequent deal for Ukraine will only be worse - because we are losing. We are losing people, territory, and the economy,” Iuliia Mendel said.
Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images
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