WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� With his new to end Russia鈥檚 war in Ukraine, is resurfacing his argument that Ukrainian President doesn’t to continue on the battlefield and must come to a settlement that heavily tilts in Moscow’s favor.
Trump, who has demonstrated low regard for Zelenskyy dating back to his first term, says he expects the Ukrainian leader to end the war by next Thursday.
The president said Friday of Zelenksyy, 鈥淗e鈥檚 going to have to approve it,鈥� though he was more reconciliatory a day later, saying, 鈥淚 would like to get to peace.鈥�
鈥淲e鈥檙e trying to get it ended. One way or the other, we have to get it ended,鈥� Trump told reporters outside the White House on Saturday.
Hours later, senators critical of to ending the Russia-Ukraine war said they spoke with Secretary of State Marco Rubio who told them that the peace plan Trump is pushing Kyiv to accept is actually a 鈥渨ish list鈥� of the Russians and not the actual proposal offering Washington鈥檚 positions.
The State Department called that account 鈥渇alse鈥� and Rubio later took the extraordinary step Saturday night of insisting that the plan was U.S.-authored 鈥� but the incident raised still more questions about the plan’s fate.
However, buffeted by a in his government, battlefield setbacks and another difficult winter looming as Russia continues to , Zelenskyy says Ukraine is now facing perhaps the most difficult choice in its history.
Trump and Zelenskyy have had a tortured relationship
Zelenskyy has not spoken with Trump since the plan became public this week, but has said he expects to talk to the Republican president in coming days. It’s likely to be another in a series of tough conversations the two leaders have had over the years.
The first time they spoke, in 2019, Trump tried to pressure the then newly minted Ukrainian leader to dig up dirt on Joe Biden ahead of the 2020 election. That phone call .
Trump made Biden’s support for Ukraine a central issue in his successful 2024 campaign, saying the conflict had cost U.S. taxpayers too much money and vowing he would .
Then early this year in a , Trump and Vice President tore into Zelenskyy for what they said was insufficient gratitude for the more than $180 billion the U.S. had appropriated for military aid and other assistance to Kyiv since the start of the war. That episode led to a of U.S. assistance to Ukraine.
And now with the , Trump is pressing Zelenskyy to agree to concessions of land to Moscow, a massive reduction in the size of Ukraine鈥檚 army, and agreement from Europe to assert that Ukraine will never be admitted into the NATO military alliance.
鈥淣ow Ukraine may find itself facing a very difficult choice: either loss of dignity, or the risk of losing a key partner,鈥� Zelenskyy said in a video address Friday.
At the center of Trump’s plan is the call on Ukraine to concede the entirety of its eastern Donbas region, even though a vast swath of that land remains in Ukrainian control. Analysts at the independent Institute for the Study of War have estimated it would take several years for the Russian military to completely seize the territory, based on its current rate of advances.
Trump, nevertheless, insists that the loss of the region 鈥� which includes cities that are vital defense, industrial and logistics hubs for Ukrainian forces 鈥� is a fait accompli.
鈥淭hey will lose in a short period of time. You know so,鈥� Trump said Friday when asked during a Fox 草莓传媒 Radio interview about his push on Ukraine to give up the territory. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e losing land. They鈥檙e losing land.鈥�
Trump’s patience remains a question
The Trump proposal was formally presented to Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Thursday by . The plan itself was a surprise to Driscoll鈥檚 staffers, who were not aware as late as Wednesday that their boss would be going to Ukraine as part of a team to present the plan to the Ukrainians.
Army officials walked away from that meeting with the impression that the Ukrainians were viewing the proposal as a starting point that would evolve as negotiations progressed, according to a U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive talks.
It’s unclear how much patience Trump has for further negotiation. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Thursday that Trump’s new plan reflects 鈥渢he realities of the situation鈥� and offers the 鈥渂est win-win scenario, where both parties gain more than they must give.鈥�
Asked about Zelenskyy’s initial hesitant response to the proposal, Trump recalled the February Oval Office blow-up with Zelenskyy: 鈥淵ou remember, right in the Oval Office, not so long ago, I said, 鈥榊ou don鈥檛 have the cards.鈥欌��
Trump, though, was also asked Saturday if the proposal was his final offer to end the Ukraine war and said it wasn’t 鈥� leaving open the possibility of more negotiation. Still, asked what would happen if Ukraine and Zelenskyy ultimately reject the proposal, the president turned almost dismissive: 鈥淭hen he can continue to fight his little heart out.鈥�
Zelenskyy is now in a vulnerable spot
The mounting pressure from Trump comes as Zelenskyy is dealing with fallout over for contracts with the state-owned nuclear energy company. The scandal led to the and implicated .
Konstantin Sonin, a political economist and Russia expert at the University of Chicago, said, 鈥渨hat Donald Trump is certainly extremely good at is spotting weak spots of people.鈥�
One of the 28 elements of Trump鈥檚 proposal to be held within 100 days of enactment of the agreement.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 a rationalistic assessment that there is more leverage over Zelenskyy than over Putin,鈥� Sonin said. He added, 鈥淶elenskyy鈥檚 back is against the wall鈥� and 鈥渉is government could collapse if he agrees鈥� to the U.S. proposal.
All the while, Ukraine is increasingly showing signs of strain on the battlefield after years of war against a vastly larger and better-equipped Russian military. Ukraine is desperately trying to fend off relentless Russian aerial attacks that have brought on the brink of winter.
Kyiv is also grappling with doubts about the way ahead. A European plan to finance for Ukraine through loans linked to frozen Russian funds is now in question.
The Trump proposal in its current form also includes several elements that would cut deeply into Ukrainian pride, said David Silbey, a military historian at Cornell University.
One provision calls on Russia and Ukraine to abolish 鈥渁ll discriminatory measures and guarantee the rights of Ukrainian and Russian media and education,鈥� and 鈥渁ll Nazi ideology and activities must be rejected and prohibited.鈥� That element could be seen by the Ukrainian side as giving credence to Putin’s airing of to legitimize the 2022 invasion.
Putin has said the war is in part an effort to 鈥渄enazify鈥� Ukraine and complained of the country’s 鈥渘eo-Nazi regime鈥� as a justification for Russia鈥檚 invasion. In fact, in Ukraine鈥檚 last parliamentary election in 2019, support for far-right candidates was 2%, significantly lower than in many other European countries.
The plan’s provision is 鈥渧ery clearly an attempt to build up Putin’s claim to Russian cultural identity within Ukraine,鈥� Silbey said. He added, 鈥淔rom territory loss to the substantial reduction of the Ukrainian military to cultural concessions that have been demanded, I just don鈥檛 think Zelenskyy could do this deal and look his public in the eye again.鈥�
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AP writers Michelle L. Price and Konstantin Toropin contributed.
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