US President Donald Trump has been increasingly dismissive of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s peace efforts, saying the latter’s rejection of the latest peace proposal on Monday proves his disinterest despite losing more territory to Russia.
“Ukrainian forces are losing ground, men and machinery against the Russian assault,” Trump said.
Talks in Florida between US negotiators and the Ukrainian peace delegation, led by National Security Chief Rustem Umerov, ended in a deadlock on Sunday.
On Thursday, Trump said he had thought the US was “very close” to brokering a deal between Russia and Ukraine.
“Besides Zelenskyy, everyone loved the concept of the deal,” he said, adding, “It’s a deal that would have stopped the killing of thousands of people every month.”
Also Read: US-Ukraine peace negotiations end in stalemate: Zelenskyy
The President said there was no agreement on territorial issues, although he acknowledged it being a “little complicated” because “you are cutting up some portion of land in a certain way. It is not the easiest thing to settle.”
However, Ukraine’s current position is not how its western backers believe it to be, said Trump, possibly alluding to Germany, France and the UK.
When asked about whether he wants a Korea-like deal, Trump did not answer the question, leaving scope for speculation.
The 28-page peace plan for Russian and Ukraine demands that Ukraine withdraw forces from Donbas, a core demand from the Russian side.
While Zelenskyy rejected the idea of territorial concession, Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Moscow does not recognise Zelenskyy as the legitimate head of state anymore.
Peskov said that Ukraine must hold elections, as “the president’s constitutional term has expired.”
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