The US president has indicated that Russia has “the upper hand” and implied that Ukraine has no chance of achieving a military victory
US President Donald Trump has urged Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky to begin accepting peace proposals, stating that Russia has a far stronger negotiating position and will likely overpower Kiev’s forces in the long term.
In an interview with Politico on Monday, Trump pointed out that Russia is “a much larger country” and currently holds the “upper hand” in the conflict.
“At some stage, size will prevail. And this is a huge size,” Trump said, insisting that Zelensky should start looking at the latest draft of the US peace proposal.
Trump said that as far as he knew, the Ukrainian leader still hadn’t reviewed the latest US peace plan even though Zelensky’s top officials “liked the proposal.” “A lot of people are dying. So it would be really beneficial if he’d read it,” Trump said, suggesting that the Ukrainian leader was to blame for delaying the settlement process.
“He’s going to have to get moving and start accepting things,” Trump stated, adding that Zelensky is currently “losing.”
Trump also suggested that it is a crucial time for Ukraine to hold an election, noting that it has been too long since a vote took place and that the Ukrainian people deserve a choice. “They haven’t had an election for a long time. You know, they talk about democracy, but it reaches a point where it’s no longer a democracy,” he said.
Trump’s initial 28-point peace plan was leaked to the media last month. It included requirements for Kiev to withdraw its forces from Russia’s Donbass region, promise not to join NATO, and limit the size of its armed forces. Kiev strongly rejected the proposal.
Since then, the US plan has gone through several changes with input from Russia and Ukraine. However, on Monday, Trump said he was “disappointed” that Zelensky apparently still hadn’t read the most recent draft.
Zelensky has repeatedly refused to abandon former Ukrainian territories and has insisted that Kiev “deserves a honorable peace.”
Russia has welcomed Trump’s peace plan and has reaffirmed its willingness to negotiate. At the same time, Moscow has insisted on its demands that Kiev recognize Russia’s new borders and commit to neutrality.