'Putin is ready, Zelenskyy isn't': Trump blames Ukraine for derailed peace efforts

As the Russia-Ukraine peace process remains in a lull, US President Donald Trump said that it is Ukraine and not Russia that is holding up on a potential peace deal. The remarks from Trump came during an exclusive interview with Reuters in the Oval Office on Wednesday. Trump’s latest rhetoric marked a contrast to that of European allies, who have consistently argued Moscow has little interest in ending its war in Ukraine.

In the interview, Trump said that the Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to wrap up his nearly four-year-old war against Ukraine. However, the American leader noted that his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, is more hesitant about a peace deal. “I think he’s ready to make a deal,” Trump said of the Russian president. “I think Ukraine is less ready to make a deal.”

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When asked why US-led negotiations had not yet resolved Europe’s largest land conflict since World War 2, Trump responded with just one word: “Zelenskyy.” Trump’s recent comments reflected his renewed frustration with the Ukrainian leader.

The two leaders have shared a volatile relationship, though their interactions seem to have improved over Trump’s first year back in office. On numerous occasions, Trump has been more willing to accept Putin's assurances at face value than the leaders of some American allies.

The long-stretched negotiation process

Trump’s take on the matter also came a month after Reuters reported that the US intelligence reports continued to warn that Putin had not abandoned his aims of capturing all of Ukraine and reclaiming parts of Europe that belonged to the former Soviet empire. However, at that time, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard disputed the report.

After a long tussle, the US-led negotiations this week have been centred in recent weeks on security guarantees for a post-war Ukraine to ensure that Russia does not invade it again after a potential peace deal. The US have been pushing Ukraine to abandon its eastern Donbas region as part of any accord with Russia.

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Meanwhile, the Ukrainian officials made it clear that they will not let go of the territories and have demanded Western security guarantees in the talks led by US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law. In the midst of this, some European allies of Ukraine have cast doubt on the likelihood of Putin agreeing to some terms recently hashed out by Kyiv, Washington and European leaders.

In the Wednesday interview, Trump told Reuters that he was not aware of a potential upcoming trip to Moscow by Witkoff and Kushner, which Bloomberg reported earlier on Wednesday. When asked if he would meet Zelenskyy at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, next week, Trump said he would but implied no plans were set. “I would - if he’s there,” Trump said. “I’m going to be there.”

Asked why he believed Zelenskyy was holding back on negotiations, Trump did not elaborate, saying only: “I just think he’s, you know, having a hard time getting there.” Meanwhile, the Ukrainian president has publicly ruled out any territorial concessions to Moscow, insisting Kyiv has no right under the country’s constitution to give up any land.

With inputs from Reuters.