Trump said it is harder for him to negotiate with Zelenskyy than with Putin
U.S. President Donald Trump stated that he finds it more difficult to deal with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy than with Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin. He also criticized Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries and spoke in favor of holding elections in Ukraine.
According to Censor.NET, Trump made these remarks in an interview with Newsmax.
During the interview, the host asked the U.S. president about reports that Ukraine had resumed strikes on Russian oil refineries. The journalist noted that Trump had asked Zelenskyy not to attack these facilities, in part because of high global diesel prices.
Trump confirmed that he had made such a request to the Ukrainian president.
"Zelenskyy is not the kind of person we like to deal with. Biden gave him hundreds of billions of dollars and billions and billions of dollars’ worth of equipment," the U.S. president stated.
He also said that he does not consider Zelenskyy to be a supporter of negotiations.
"I think they’ll eventually reach some kind of settlement. They won’t do it with him. He doesn’t want to negotiate. He says he does, but he really doesn’t. No, I’m not a big fan of Zelenskyy," Trump said.
At the same time, the U.S. president expressed hope that the war would end soon. In his view, both Zelenskyy and Putin are interested in ending it, but it is more difficult to negotiate with the Ukrainian leader.
Trump also stated that strikes on Russian oil refineries are driving up global oil prices.
"I think it’s a shame if he… There are many other targets […]. But when you strike refineries that produce diesel fuel—which we and the whole world need—he’s not doing the world any favors," said the U.S. president.
Trump has once again spoken about elections in Ukraine
Separately, Trump raised the issue of how long Zelenskyy has been in office and stated that Ukraine needs elections.
"Frankly speaking, Zelenskyy has been there for a long time, and I think it's time for... If they want to sort this out," he said, leaving his thought unfinished.
The U.S. president also mentioned an interview with a young Ukrainian woman who, according to him, claimed that Zelenskyy had "ruined the country." However, Trump did not specify which interview he was referring to.
When the host brought up Zelenskyy’s remarks about the need for a two-month pause to hold elections, Trump stated that the vote was necessary.
"I think elections are necessary because no one is telling me that people in Ukraine are happy that rockets are hitting their apartment buildings," he said.
Trump stated Russia's advantage in human resources
During the conversation, the U.S. president also compared the human resources of Russia and Ukraine. According to him, Russia could lose a million soldiers because it has a significant population reserve, whereas Ukraine lacks such resources. At the same time, Trump stated that Ukraine had received "the world’s best equipment" from the U.S.
He also mentioned Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, attributing responsibility for what happened to events that took place during Barack Obama’s presidency.
"Crimea is, without a doubt, the most valuable part of Ukraine [...]. The most beautiful piece of land. I’m a developer; I know good land when I see it," Trump said.
Speaking about the relationship between Zelenskyy and Putin, the U.S. president stated that the mutual hatred between them complicates negotiations.
"As you know, Putin hates Zelenskyy, and Zelenskyy hates Putin. And when there’s that kind of hatred, it’s very hard to work anything out," he said.
Trump reiterated that Russia’s war against Ukraine should never have started, and linked its outbreak to the 2020 U.S. presidential election, which he again called rigged.
