Donald Trump slammed Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky on Monday, saying he wasn’t interested in finding peace just as the American president was due to meet with top officials to discuss whether to end aid to the embattled country altogether.
He renewed his attack on Zelensky after his Ukrainian counterpart said peace with Russia ‘is still very, very far away.’
That infuriated Trump who has upped the pressure on Kyiv to end the war.
‘This is the worst statement that could have been made by Zelenskyy, and America will not put up with it for much longer,’ Trump posted on his Truth Social website.
On Friday, Zelensky’s visit to the White House was cut short after they clashed in the Oval Office over whether or not Russian President Vladimir Putin could be trusted.
Zelensky then traveled to the U.K. where European leaders reiterated their support for him.
Trump said: ‘It is what I was saying, this guy doesn’t want there to be Peace as long as he has America’s backing and, Europe, in the meeting they had with Zelenskyy, stated flatly that they cannot do the job without the U.S.
‘Probably not a great statement to have been made in terms of a show of strength against Russia. What are they thinking?’
Donald Trump clashed with his Ukrainian counterpart in the Oval Office on Friday
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Ukraine has been fighting for its survival for the past three years, ever since Russian forces rolled across its borders.
Zelensky has been hailed a hero for leading the resistance.
But he has received a very different reception in Washington since Trump returned to power.
He was berated by the president and his vice president in the Oval Office after he told them that Putin was not a man to be trusted.
In London, he tried to offer a more positive take on the U.S.-Ukraine relationship.
‘I think our relationship will continue, because it’s more than an occasional relationship,’ he said late Sunday.
Trump’s post linked to those comments as he berated the Ukrainian leader.
It came as key national security figures were expected to meet with Trump to discuss the future of American aid to Ukraine.
Trump renewed his attack on Zelensky with a Truth Social post
National Security Adviser Mike Waltz (left) and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth
It is more than three years since Russian forces invaded Ukraine.
A source said Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, and National Security Adviser Mike Waltz were expected to join with other senior officials to work out next steps.
Zelensky and European leaders want a U.S. ‘backstop’ to any peace deal. They believe U.S. air power or air defense systems are essential for deterring any future Russian attack but are ready to deploy U.K. and French peacekeepers if a deal can be done.
American officials have said that a minerals deal, giving the U.S. a huge stake in Ukrainian reserves of critical rare earth deposits, would be enough to protect Ukraine.
But the British prime minister Sir Keir Starmer said Monday: ‘The mineral deal is not enough on its own.’
Key Trump officials have lined up to warn Zelensky that time is running out for him.
‘The American people’s patience is not unlimited, their wallets are not unlimited, and our stockpiles and munitions are not unlimited,’ Waltz told Fox News.
‘So the time to talk is now.’