Trump Accuses Zelensky of Not Wanting to End the War; Kyiv Cites Pressure to Capitulate

US President Donald Trump on Sunday published a long post on his platform Truth Social about the war between Russia and Ukraine, again accusing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Relations between the two leaders have deteriorated sharply in recent days after sanctions on Russian diesel fuel were lifted. The dispute matters because both peace talks and Ukraine's military support depend heavily on Washington's position.

Trump: talks have made progress

Trump wrote that he is involved in negotiations to achieve peace and does not want to do anything that would push Russia out of the process. He said considerable progress has been made, including in current talks on a prisoner exchange, and that Russia is currently doing almost nothing to help Iran.

He also claimed that Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries are raising diesel prices worldwide, including fuel prices in the US. Trump stressed that, despite the attacks, Russia is still sending millions of tonnes of diesel to world markets. He asserted that Zelensky does not care, adding that the Ukrainian president does not want to end the war and most likely never did.

Trump also argued that two years ago Zelensky could have struck a much better deal. He wrote that Ukraine is devastated, has lost a significant part of its territory and its access to seas and oceans, and that the number of men has fallen considerably because many have been seriously wounded or killed.

Zelensky: attempts to force capitulation

In an interview with Bloomberg, Zelensky said Trump is trying to force Kyiv to capitulate. He said he had offered to stop attacks on Russian oil refineries in exchange for ammunition for Patriot air defence missile systems. In his view, the US reaction suggests Washington wants the attacks halted without any conditions.

Zelensky said he believes steps were taken to convince Ukraine to capitulate. He added that he is not saying this is the aim of Ukraine's partners and would not want to think the Americans believe the war could end sooner at Ukraine's expense, but "that is how it looks".