Donald Trump has dismissed concerns from Ukraine over being excluded from the first diplomatic talks between the U.S. and Russia since the start of the war, suggesting that Kyiv had ample opportunity to negotiate a settlement before the conflict escalated.
Speaking from Mar-a-Lago, Trump doubled down on his criticism of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, arguing that Ukraine’s leadership missed its chance to avoid the war in the first place.
“They’re upset about not having a seat. Well, they’ve had a seat for three years and a long time before that,” he said, showing little sympathy for Kyiv’s frustration at being left out of discussions in Saudi Arabia.
Trump went further, asserting that the war “could have been settled very easily” with even the most basic diplomatic efforts.
“Just a half-baked negotiator could have settled this years ago without, I think, without the loss of much land, very little land, without the loss of any lives, and without the loss of cities,” he said.
Following diplomatic talks in Saudi Arabia led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Donald Trump expressed increased optimism about the prospects of a peace deal in Ukraine, describing the discussions as “very good” and saying he felt “much more confident” in a resolution.
Asked whether he would consider withdrawing all US troops from Europe as part of a potential peace deal with Vladimir Putin, Trump dismissed the idea outright.
“Well, nobody’s asked me to do that so I don’t think we’d have to do that, I wouldn’t want to do that. But that question’s never really come up,” he said.
President Trump has signaled however that he would not object to a European-led peacekeeping mission in Ukraine once a peace deal is reached, stating that such an arrangement would eliminate the need for the United States to send its own forces.
The remarks come as the UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is preparing to double down on plans for a European peacekeeping force that would include British troops. Starmer is expected to press Trump for a U.S. military commitment as a “backstop” for any post-war security arrangement when he visits the White House next week.
What the U.S. “backstop” actually entails in practical terms remains unclear, as it would require European consensus—something that is currently lacking when it comes to the deployment of peacekeepers. Without a unified position, the likelihood of the U.S. committing military power as a security guarantee appears slim. Meanwhile, Russia has already made its opposition clear, warning that any foreign peacekeeping presence in Ukraine would be seen as a direct provocation.
There have been reports that Russia wants Ukraine to hold new elections as a condition for signing a peace deal, raising concerns about Moscow’s influence over Ukraine’s political future. When asked whether the US would support such a demand, Trump pointed to the lack of elections in Ukraine due to the war and the imposition of martial law.
“Well, we have a situation where we haven’t had elections in Ukraine. Where we have martial law, essentially martial law, in Ukraine. Where the leader in Ukraine, I mean I hate to say it, but he’s down at 4% approval rating,” he said.
Trump further suggested that holding elections should be part of the broader conversation surrounding Ukraine’s future.
“When they want a seat at the table you could say the people have to, wouldn’t the people of Ukraine have to say, like, you know it’s been a long time since we’ve had an election? That’s not a Russia thing. That’s something coming from me and coming from many other countries also.”
