 "Kyiv will have to make ‘compromises’ to end war with Russia, Trump tells Zelenskyy")
US President Donald Trump said Friday (February 28) that Ukraine will have to make ‘compromises’ to end the conflict with Russia as he greeted President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House.
Trump however added those compromises won’t be ‘as big as some people think’.
“You can’t do any deals without compromises,” but they “will not be as big as some people think you’re going to have to make,” Trump said at the Oval Office.
Earlier, the US president praised “unbelievably brave” Ukrainian troops for their relentless fight against the invading Russian forces for the last three years.
Earlier this week, Ukraine said it was set to sign a mineral deal with the US but added its success would depend on discussions with Trump. Trump has made the proposed mineral deal with Ukraine central to America’s support to Kyiv, with vague promises about security.
Zelenskyy enjoyed full backing from the previous US administration of Joe Biden, including military equipment and economic aid. However, Trump’s entry into the White House has subjected Ukraine to Washington DC’s transactional approach.
This is the first meeting between the two leaders following their heated exchange earlier this month after Zelenskyy refused to sign the minerals deal citing a lack of security guarantees. Trump called Zelenskyy a “dictator without elections” whereas the Ukrainian president said Trump was stuck in ‘Russian disinformation’.
However, on Thursday, Trump tried to walk back his dictator remarks, telling reporters, ‘Did I really say that?’
On Friday, during talks with Zelenskyy, Trump hoped he would be “remembered as a peacemaker”. On the other hand, Zelenskyy chose not to pull his punches while referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin and urged Trump to make “no compromises with a killer”.
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