 "US President Donald Trump meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House in Washington, DC on February 28, 2025. (Source: Reuters)")
US President Donald Trump Monday (March 3) warned that his administration “won’t put up with” Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s stance on the war with Russia much longer.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump reiterated Zelenskyy doesn’t want to end the war as long as he enjoys backing from Washington DC.
Along with his post, Trump attached the screenshot of a news report which quoted Zelenskyy as saying, “end of war with Russia is very, very far away”.
Trump wrote, “This is the worst statement that could have been made by Zelenskyy, and America will not put up with it for much longer."
“It is what I was saying, this guy doesn’t want there to be Peace as long as he has America’s backing and, Europe, in the meeting they had with Zelenskyy, stated flatly that they cannot do the job without the US," Trump wrote further.
This comes after the two leaders had an explosive meeting Friday (February 28) at the White House, following which Zelenskyy was abruptly asked to leave and a joint presser was also cancelled.
Trump allies press Zelenskyy to change stance
Earlier on Sunday (March 2), key allies of President Trump pressed Zelenskyy to either change his stance on the war or simply stand down.
Trump’s national security advisor, Mike Waltz, even asserted that Zelenskyy was not willing to negotiate a peace deal, making it clear that such a proposal could include ceding territories to Russia permanently.
“We need a leader that can deal with us, eventually deal with the Russians and end this war.” He added, “If it becomes apparent that President Zelenskyy’s either personal motivations or political motivations are divergent from ending the fighting in his country, then I think we have a real issue on our hands.”
Impact Shorts
More ShortsSouth Carolina Senator and Republican leader Lindsey Graham also echoed same concerns, arguing it was difficult for Zelenskyy to continue working with the US following the White House clash.
House Speaker Mike Johnson also called on Zelenskyy to “come back to the table with gratitude” or just step aside.
“Something has to change. Either he needs to come to his senses and come back to the table in gratitude, or someone else needs to lead the country to do that,” he said, referring to the Ukrainian leader.
(With inputs from agencies)