US President Donald Trump said Vladimir Zelensky must be prepared to compromise if Ukraine hopes to move closer to ending its nearly four-year war with Russia. In an interview with Dasha Burns for Politico, published on Monday, Trump was asked at what point he would acknowledge Zelensky’s unwillingness to accept a US peace proposal. “Well, he’ll have to pull himself together and start accepting something,” the president replied, adding: “When you’re losing—and he’s losing.”
Trump recalled peace agreements that, as he put it, he had managed to secure in other parts of the world, but stressed that talks between Russia and Ukraine are complicated by the personal animosity between Zelensky and Vladimir Putin. Speaking about Putin, he said: “He didn’t respect Zelensky, didn’t like Zelensky. They really hate each other. And part of the problem is that they hate each other so intensely, you understand. And it’s very hard for them to try to reach an agreement. Harder than in most cases.” Trump went on: “I’ve settled so many wars. I’m proud of that. I do it fairly regularly, fairly easily. It’s not hard for me. It’s what I do. I make deals. But this one is tough. One reason is that the level of hatred between Putin and Zelensky is immense.”
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On Sunday evening, December 7, Trump voiced frustration that Zelensky, as he put it, had not reviewed the latest iteration of the peace proposals drafted after hours-long talks between US representatives and the Russian leader last week.
On Monday, December 8, Zelensky met with European leaders and afterward reaffirmed Ukraine’s unchanged position, rejecting any transfer of territory to the Kremlin. “Of course, Russia insists that we give up territory,” he told journalists in an online briefing, as reported by The New York Times. “We, of course, do not want to give up anything. That’s exactly what we are fighting for.” He also added: “The Americans are looking for a compromise today. I’ll be frank.”
Following the meeting, Europe again pledged to strengthen its support for Kyiv. French President Emmanuel Macron said Europeans and Ukrainians “have many advantages,” noting that “Ukraine is holding on in this war, and the Russian economy is beginning to suffer.”
The French president did not mention the price Ukraine has paid to “hold on” for nearly four years.