US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday (12/3) that Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky should have sought to resolve the conflict with Russia sooner, warning that the current situation has largely turned against Kiev.
“I said you don’t have any tricks up your sleeve,” Trump told reporters at the White House, referring to the meeting he held with the Ukrainian. “This was the right time to negotiate. I thought it could have been a much better time to negotiate… They have a lot of things working against them now,” he added.
At the time, in February, Trump asserted that Washington could withdraw its support if Ukraine did not seek an agreement, stressing that the country had no negotiating power in the conflict. During the meeting, a major debate took place between the leaders in the White House, while they faced major differences.
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Trump and Zelensky
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Presidents Donald Trump (USA) and Volodymyr Zelensky (Ukraine)
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Zelensky and Trump argue in the White House
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Trump and Zelensky meeting
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Zelensky points to progress
Despite Republican criticism, Zelensky said negotiations were continuing to advance. The Ukrainian President indicated, in a statement on Wednesday, that his team is awaiting further meetings with the US President’s envoys in Washington, in addition to participating in meetings in Brussels, including the Council of Ukraine and NATO, and meetings with the security teams of European leaders.
He added: “We are preparing for meetings in the United States – after the American team returns from Moscow and after the relevant consultations in Washington – Rustam Omerov and Andrei Hnatov, along with the rest of the negotiating team members, will continue discussions with President Trump’s envoys.”
The Ukrainian president also stressed that Ukraine has shown itself to be “quite constructive” and agile in cooperation with international partners, including the United States, and expects responses to the negotiations soon, both in person and by phone.
At the international level, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte confirmed today, Wednesday, that the alliance will continue to invest billions in weapons for Ukraine in 2025, which will strengthen the military and political support of Europe and the United States for the country.
While diplomacy advances, the conflict in the region remains active. Moscow announced that it had taken control of the strategic cities of Pokrovsk and Vovchansk in eastern Ukraine, which was opposed by Kiev, which accuses Russia of exaggerating its military gains.
According to the Kremlin, there is not yet an official agreement and there is no plan to hold a direct meeting between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, provided that the next steps depend on the progress of technical negotiations between the two teams.