A “half-baked negotiator” could have settled the conflict years ago, the US president has said
US President Donald Trump has expressed disappointment with Ukraine’s leadership over its complaints that it was not invited to US-Russia peace talks in Saudi Arabia, suggesting that it has squandered opportunities to end the conflict on its own for years.
Speaking to reporters after high-level talks in Riyadh on Tuesday, Trump was asked if he had a message for Ukrainians who may have felt “betrayed or disappointed” about not having a seat at the table.
“I’m really disappointed in what’s happened. I’ve been watching this for three years… I hear that, you know, they’re upset about not having a seat. Well, they’ve had a seat for three years and a long time before that.”
Trump added that the conflict “could have been settled very easily.”
“A half-baked negotiator could have settled this years ago without the loss of much land, very little land. Without the loss of any lives and without the loss of cities,” he said.
Asked whether the US would support elections in Ukraine, Trump suggested that Ukraine’s leadership should consider it. “Wouldn’t the people of Ukraine have to say, like, you know, it’s been a long time since we’ve had an election?”
The US president went on to claim, without citing sources, that Vladimir Zelensky’s approval rating is 4%. The Ukrainian leader’s presidential term ended last May, and he refused to hold new elections, citing martial law. Russia considers Zelensky “illegitimate” and recognizes the parliament and its speaker as the only legitimate authority in Ukraine.
Trump’s remarks come on the heels of US-Russia talks in Saudi Arabia. Both sides praised the engagement as productive, with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stating that both delegations worked “quite successfully” on improving relations.
The sides agreed to restore embassy staffing after years of tit-for-tat diplomatic expulsions, and to form teams to find a resolution to the Ukraine conflict. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio acknowledged that the West would need to address the sanctions imposed on Russia in order to reach a lasting solution to the conflict.
Zelensky stressed that Kiev – which was not invited to the talks – “views any negotiations about Ukraine that are being held without Ukraine as having no results.” He also insisted that his country would reject any ultimatums that might follow the Riyadh negotiations.
