Donald Trump has urged Russia’s warfare in Ukraine may have been “settled very easily” as he criticised Kyiv’s negotiation expertise.
In feedback after a unprecedented assembly between senior American and Russian officers on Tuesday morning in Saudi Arabia, the US president stated of Ukraine: “They’ve had a seat [at the table] for 3 years and a very long time earlier than that.
“This could have been settled very easily. Just a half-baked negotiator could have settled this years ago without, I think, the loss of much land and without the loss of any lives and without the loss of cities that are just laying on their side.”
Whereas touting his personal negotiation expertise, Mr Trump additionally stated he was “more confident” a few peace deal after Tuesday’s talks, attended by US secretary of state Marco Rubio.
Whereas talking from Mar-a-Lago in Florida, Mr Trump additionally stated he wouldn’t oppose seeing European peacekeeping troops stationed in Ukraine as a part of a peace cope with Russia.
He additionally repeated a proposal that Ukrainian chief Volodymyr Zelenskyy maintain elections in Ukraine as a situation of peace.
‘Not a Russian factor’
“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 to 4% approval rating.”
He added: “If Ukraine wants a seat at the table, wouldn’t the people have to say – it has been a long time since they had an election?
“That is not a Russian factor, that is one thing coming from me and coming from many different international locations additionally.”
Mr Trump additionally instructed reporters he and Russian chief Vladimir Putin had mentioned Ukraine earlier than the full-scale invasion in 2022.
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“President Putin and I would talk about Ukraine, and it was the apple of his eye, I will tell you that,” he stated.
“But he never, there was never a chance of him going in. And I told him: ‘You better not go in, don’t go in, don’t go in.’ And he understood that and he understood it fully.”
From Trump to Zelenskyy – it was goodbye
In one other place, at one other time, it could have been: “You’re fired.”
Donald Trump coined it in a different way when he was requested about Volodymyr Zelenskyy, however the sentiment was the identical.
Requested about recommendations that Russia wished elections in Ukraine as a part of a peace deal, the US president replied: “I hate to say it, but he’s down to a 4% approval… when they want a seat at the table, wouldn’t the people of Ukraine say it’s been a long time since we had an election? That’s not a Russia thing, that’s coming from me and other countries.”
From one president to a different, it was goodbye. A farewell to the notion that Trump respects Zelenskyy as an equal participant in peace negotiations.
Learn James Matthews’s full evaluation right here
US and Russia ‘want vibrant diplomatic missions’
Mr Trump added he’ll most likely meet with Mr Putin earlier than the tip of the month.
At Tuesday morning’s talks, US and Russian officers agreed to revive embassy staffing and set up a high-level crew to barter peace in Ukraine in one other signal of the numerous American change in diplomatic relations with Moscow.
Mr Rubio stated the 2 international locations “need to have vibrant diplomatic missions that are able to function normally”. The US and Russia additionally agreed to discover nearer relations and financial cooperation on the assembly.
“Should this conflict come to an acceptable end, the incredible opportunities that exist to partner with the Russians geopolitically on issues of common interest and frankly, economically, on issues that hopefully will be good for the world and also improve our relations in the long term,” Mr Rubio stated.
He added ending Russia’s warfare in Ukraine would require concessions from all sides.
The feedback got here as talks between Russian and US officers in Saudi Arabia ended – a part of a outstanding US coverage reversal after years of former president Joe Biden main worldwide efforts to isolate Moscow.
‘Very helpful’ talks, Lavrov says
Talking to reporters after the assembly, Russian overseas minister Sergei Lavrov stated “the conversation was very useful”.
“We not only listened, but also heard each other,” Mr Lavrov stated.
“And I have reason to believe that the American side has started to better understand our position, which we have once again outlined in detail, using specific examples, based on President Putin’s repeated speeches.”
US State Division spokesperson Tammy Bruce stated though Ukraine was not on the desk on Tuesday, any precise peace negotiations will embody the nation.
In the meantime, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated his nation won’t settle for any consequence from this week’s talks if Kyiv doesn’t participate. No Ukrainian officers had been current on the assembly.
Picture:
Inside Tuesday’s talks in Saudi Arabia. Pic: Reuters
Ukraine shedding floor to Russia
The talks got here as Ukraine is slowly however steadily shedding floor in opposition to extra quite a few Russian troops in a grinding warfare that started almost three years in the past.
The Ukrainian air drive stated Russian troops launched a barrage of 176 drones at Ukraine on Monday evening, most of which had been destroyed or disabled by jamming.
One Russian drone struck a residential constructing in Dolynska within the Kirovohrad area, wounding a mom and her two youngsters and prompting an evacuation of 38 flats, the regional administration reported.
4 extra residential buildings had been broken by drone particles within the Cherkasy area of Ukraine, in response to native officers.
European allies left scrambling
Ties between Russia and the US had fallen to their lowest stage in many years lately – a rift that had been widening since Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and worsened after Moscow’s full-scale invasion in 2022.
At that time, the US, together with European nations, imposed a raft of sanctions on Russia and the allies have repeatedly expanded the measures to break the Russian economic system.
However the current US diplomatic blitz on the warfare has despatched Mr Zelenskyy and key European allies scrambling to make sure a seat on the desk amid considerations that Washington and Moscow may press forward with a deal that won’t be beneficial to Ukraine.
On Monday, France known as an emergency assembly of European nations, together with the UK, to debate the warfare.
Saudi Arabia seeks to be diplomatic participant
The assembly between the US and Russia on Tuesday on the Diriyah Palace within the Saudi capital of Riyadh additionally highlights de facto chief Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s efforts to be a significant diplomatic participant, burnishing a repute severely tarnished by the 2018 killing of Washington Submit journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Saudi state media described the talks as occurring on the prince’s path. Saudi Arabia has additionally helped in prisoner negotiations and hosted Mr Zelenskyy for an Arab League summit in 2023.
Mr Zelenskyy had been as a consequence of journey to Saudi Arabia this week however rescheduled it to 10 March, suggesting he wished to keep away from his go to being linked to the US-Russia talks since Ukrainian officers weren’t invited.
