The key facts

  • Trump believes Zelensky should step aside as negotiator in favor of another person
  • He is ready for a meeting with Putin and Xi Jinping, with the main topic being nuclear disarmament
  • WSJ reported Putin's proposal to hold a trilateral meeting next month

Trump criticized Zelensky as a negotiator

US President Donald Trump told reporters on Monday before departing the White House for Kansas, where he was to campaign ahead of the November 3 congressional midterm elections, that it may be time for someone other than Volodymyr Zelensky to conduct negotiations on behalf of Kyiv. According to Trump, Zelensky 'doesn't know what he's talking about' and should have settled the war long ago, and if he had listened to Trump, he would have gotten a far better deal. He added that a huge number of people have died in the conflict and Ukraine is 'losing its male population,' and also said that the US has given Ukraine a lot while it 'has given nothing in return.' In his view, Zelensky 'doesn't really help the cause' and perhaps does not want to stop the war, whereas Trump himself wants to end the loss of life.

Possible meeting with Putin and Xi Jinping

Asked whether he agreed to a trilateral meeting with Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping on Ukraine, Trump answered no, but said he is open to such talks. He explained that the meeting would be needed not so much for Ukraine's sake, since Russia, in his words, 'feels quite fine in Ukraine,' and the main priority would be discussing nuclear weapons and denuclearization. Trump noted that the US has more nuclear weapons than anyone, Russia is in second place, and China in third but is catching up quickly — in his estimate, that would take about five years. Asked whether he would meet with Putin and Xi to discuss ending the war without Zelensky's participation, Trump replied that he would do 'everything in my power to end the war, whether or not anyone is present.'

Context: WSJ report and Zelensky's reaction

On Sunday, The Wall Street Journal reported that Putin proposed holding a trilateral meeting with Trump and Xi Jinping next month to discuss the war in Ukraine and seek its conclusion on terms favorable to Moscow. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed to the outlet that discussions are ongoing, but there is no clear understanding yet of the meeting itself or its agenda, although all three sides acknowledge the 'hypothetical possibility' of such a meeting. The report came after Trump announced a deal to purchase Russian diesel fuel and signed an executive order lifting a number of key sanctions against Moscow. Zelensky criticized the move, saying: 'Any weakening of sanctions against Russia without a clear and sustainable de-escalation agreement is an obvious weakness.'

Statement on Russia, China and Iran

Trump also said that Russia and China provided only limited support to Iran despite their close ties with Tehran. 'Russia could have done much more to help Iran. Russia has done very little for Iran. China could have done much more for Iran,' Anadolu quoted him as saying. He added that he views this as 'a very positive thing.'