Donald Trump said on Friday that he was not essential for the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky to be present during negotiations aimed at putting an end to the Russian war in Ukraine.
“I do not think it is very important to participate in meetings,” said Trump in an audio interview with Fox News. “He has been there for three years. It makes it very difficult to conclude agreements. »»
Later, the American president added that Ukrainian leaders “have no cards” in talks.
“I had very good discussions with (Russian president Vladimir) Putin, and I did not have such good discussions with Ukraine. They don’t have cards, but they play hard. But we are not going to let this continue, “Trump told a rally of American governors in the White House on Friday.
Kyiv and Europe complained to be sidelined after Trump opened the talks with Moscow at the end of the war, which began with the invasion of Ukraine by Russia in 2022.
Russian and superior diplomats met in Saudi Arabia earlier this week to talk about a ceasefire and kyiv was not invited.
Tensions with Kyiv have climbed more when the republican president marked Zelensky a “dictator” and claimed that Ukraine had “started” war.
“He complains that he is not in a meeting that we have with Saudi Arabia to try intermediate peace,” said Trump in his interview on Friday.
“He has been in a meeting for three years and nothing has been done.”
