A statement by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky saying a deal to end the war with Russia was “very far away” has drawn a furious response by Donald Trump.
“America will not put up with it for much longer,” the US president said in a social media post, before accusing Zelensky of not wanting peace.
A summit of mostly European leaders in London on Sunday agreed a four-point plan to guarantee Ukraine’s defence in the event of a peace deal with Russia.
“Probably not a great statement to have been made in terms of a show of strength against Russia. What are they thinking?” Trump said, apparently referring to the summit held two days after his fiery clash with Zelensky at the Oval Office.
The summit – hosted by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer – was intended as a show of support for Ukraine and an attempt to reduce differences between Western countries over Ukraine.
Britain and France said they were working on a European-led solution to the conflict.
After the meeting, Zelensky said a deal to end the war between Ukraine and Russia was “still very, very far away”.
He added that he expected the US to continue backing Ukraine despite his own fraught relations with Trump.
“I believe that Ukraine has a strong enough partnership with the United States of America,” Zelensky said late on Sunday.
But on Monday, Trump responded by reiterating his view that Zelensky stood in the way of peace negotiations.
“This is the worst statement that could have been made by Zelensky, 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,” he wrote on his Truth Social media network.
During a news briefing later on Monday, Trump once again said that Zelensky “should be more appreciative” for the aid he has received from the US in the three years since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
During the confrontation in front of cameras at the White House, both Trump and US Vice-President JD Vance expressed anger at what they perceived as Zelensky’s lack of gratitude.
“Just say thank you,” Vance demanded at one point.
The angry exchange meant that a deal that would give the US access to Ukraine’s deposits of rare earth minerals was left unsigned.
In his news conference on Monday, Trump said he did not believe the agreement was dead.
He added that he would provide an update on the minerals deal late on Tuesday.
After the London summit, the UK and France suggested a European “coalition of the willing” to defend Ukraine – and to make sure Russia would not invade after a peace deal.
Sir Keir said that the idea of sending troops to Ukraine – which would include boots on the ground and planes in the air – had the backing of several parties, but he was careful to leave it to individual countries to discuss the matter internally.
Scandinavian countries have signalled they were open to the idea if it had the backing of the US.
The European moves follow a reversal of US policy under President Trump.
He says he wants to end the war and has held a lengthy telephone conversation with Putin and a round of talks with Moscow to which Ukraine was excluded.
Trump has caused consternation among Western allies by saying he trusts Putin, accusing Zelensky of being a dictator and even saying Ukraine started the war, not Russia.
BBC
