Trump refuses to name Ukraine as negotiations participant to end war
Photo: AP / Jason Allen
At a press conference on February 12, United States President Donald Trump evaded answering whether he considered Ukraine an equal participant in the negotiation process.
Voice of America journalist Ostap Yarysh reported this.
So, when asked whether he considered Ukraine an equal participant in this peace process, Trump replied:
"It's an interesting question. I think they have to make peace, their people are being killed, and I think they have to make peace. That was not a good war to go into, and I think they have to make peace. That's what I think."
When asked whether Ukraine should cede its territories for the sake of peace, Trump emphasized that Zelensky "will have to do what he has to do."
"But, you know, his poll numbers aren't particularly great, to put it mildly. He's got a country where it's been savaged and attacked. And he's got an army that's been very, very brave, actually, despite the fact that we've given him, in my opinion, $350 billion. That's what the real number is. You don't hear that number, and Europe has given, in my opinion, $100 billion, and they've done it in the form of a loan," Trump said.
It should be noted that the foreign ministers of France, Great Britain, Spain, Italy, Poland, Germany, the EU, and Ukraine made a statement regarding their participation in future negotiations on ending Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine. They emphasized that "We stand ready to strengthen support for Ukraine. We are committed to its independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity in the face of Russia's aggressive war," the ministers said in a statement.
They also share the goal of supporting Ukraine until a just, comprehensive, and sustainable peace is achieved.
According to the ministers, this peace guarantees the interests of Ukraine and its European allies.
For reference:
As reported, on February 12, US President Donald Trump had a telephone conversation with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. They discussed, among other things, the war in Ukraine.
After that, Trump also spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. According to the head of state, he and Trump agreed to contact further and meet.
Trump repeated the Pentagon chief's thesis that the US considers Ukraine's membership in NATO "impractical." At the same time, the American president noted that the United States will continue to assist Ukraine, "but we want it to be safe."
The Washington Post notes that Trump allegedly suggested that Ukraine would have to cede territory to Russia to end the war.
Before that, the new US Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, said that returning Ukraine's borders to those before 2014 was not a realistic goal. The United States did not consider Ukraine's membership in NATO a realistic outcome of a peaceful resolution to the war.
According to the United States Department of State, President Donald Trump's special representative for Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellogg, will visit Germany, Belgium, and Ukraine from February 13 to 22 to discuss with allies ways to end Russia's war in Ukraine.
Recently, Trump's special envoy said that the United States already has a "good, solid plan" to end the war in Ukraine.
