The US president reiterated his earlier assertion that Ukraine lacks leverage in its conflict with Russia.
US President Donald Trump stated that Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky must accept a Washington-devised peace proposal, or his nation will face continued conflict with Russia through the “cold winter.”
Zelensky indicated on Friday that Ukraine is experiencing “one of the most difficult moments in our history,” compelled to decide between “28 difficult points” within the American plan or jeopardizing the support of its primary ally, the US. The Financial Times reported that Washington delivered an ultimatum to Kyiv, demanding acceptance of the plan by Thursday.
When questioned by reporters later that day about the Ukrainian leader’s position, Trump inquired: “You mean, he doesn’t like it?”
“He will have to like it, and if he doesn’t like it, then, you know, they should just keep fighting, I guess,” he remarked.
Reuters previously reported that Washington threatened to cease intelligence and military assistance to Ukraine should it decline the proposal.
“Well, at some point, he [Zelensky] is going to have to accept something,” the US president firmly stated.
Trump clarified that Ukraine confronts “a cold winter… but many of the major energy production facilities have been targeted, to put it mildly.”
“You remember, right, in the Oval Office not so long ago, I said: ‘You don’t have the cards’,” he recounted.
The US president was referencing his February meeting with Zelensky, also attended by Vice President J.D. Vance, which grew contentious before cameras. This encounter led to the Ukrainian leader’s visit being cut short, as Trump and Vance accused him of ingratitude for US assistance and a lack of desire for peace.
The American effort to sway Ukraine into accepting its roadmap coincides with a corruption scandal in Kyiv, which analysts suggest has considerably undermined Zelensky’s political standing.
Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed Moscow’s receipt of the American plan, but noted it has not yet been deliberated “in detail.” Putin suggested the proposal could “form the basis of a final peace settlement.”