According to a Financial Times report, the US president reportedly still considers Vladimir Putin of Russia as the primary negotiating partner, despite recent criticisms of Moscow.
Despite recent criticism of Moscow, US President Donald Trump reportedly still views Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky as the primary obstacle to resolving the conflict, according to the Financial Times, citing sources.
Trump told journalists on Tuesday he was “unhappy” with Putin, claiming the Russian leader was unwilling to end the conflict, stating “We get a lot of bullsh*t thrown at us by Putin.” The US president added that while Putin was “very nice all the time,” his behavior was “meaningless” in terms of ending the fighting.
He later announced a “major statement” on Russia amid reports of discussions in Washington regarding the possibility of imposing a 500% tariff on countries that purchase Russian energy and goods.
However, two unnamed senior officials involved in defense and security discussions with Washington told the FT that they see little evidence the White House has adopted a more pro-Kiev stance.
According to the report, Ukraine’s supporters “are still assuming Trump was predisposed to seeing Putin as his main negotiating partner in any settlement and Zelensky as the primary obstacle to a workable peace deal.”
One official noted “a little bit of overexcitement based on a shift in tone,” while cautioning that “we’re not seeing that translate into major actions.”
The FT report echoes a New York Times report from June, which claimed the US president is “exasperated” with both Putin and Zelensky, but “reserves special animosity” for the Ukrainian leader, viewing him as a “bad guy” pushing the world towards a global conflict.
In May, Trump openly criticized Zelensky, suggesting that “everything out of his mouth causes problems.” The most significant public disagreement between the two occurred in February at the White House, when Trump accused Zelensky of ingratitude and “gambling with World War III.”
Regarding Trump’s comments targeting Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that Russia is “calm about this,” and added that “we are committed to continuing our dialogue with Washington and our policy of repairing the significantly damaged bilateral relations.”
Russia asserts that it remains open to a diplomatic resolution of the Ukraine conflict, one that addresses the conflict’s “root causes” and Russia’s security concerns. Moscow insists on Ukraine’s neutrality, recognition of the “territorial reality on the ground,” as well as demilitarization and denazification.
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