Trump says Russia has an advantage in talks because «has seized large parts» of Ukraine

Donald Trump, photo: aa.com.tr

US President Donald Trump has said that Russia holds «trumps» in any peace talks to end the war in Ukraine, as it has «seized a large territory».

According to the BBC, when asked whether he believed that Russia wanted peace, Donald Trump replied: «Yes, I do».

«I think the Russians want to end the war, I really do. I think they have a little bit of a bargaining chip, because they've captured a lot of territory. They have some trump cards,» he said.

It is noted that Donald Trump made this statement after being outraged by the words of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who said that the US leader «lives in a disinformation space» controlled by Moscow.

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In response, Donald Trump accused Volodymyr Zelenskyy of refusing to hold elections and tried to question his popularity among Ukrainians.

Peace talks

Earlier, Donald Trump stated that the United States was engaged in constructive negotiations on a full-scale war with Ukraine and the Russian Federation. In particular, he expressed hope that agreements would be reached as soon as possible.

He also claimed that Washington had already made some progress in negotiations to end the war between Russia and Ukraine.

In addition, Donald Trump indicated that his administration had already held discussions with Moscow, but did not specify who participated in such a dialogue. Also, during his phone conversation with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Trump never said that Europe needs a seat at the table in negotiations on Ukraine.

Earlier, Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed that negotiations between the United States and Russia to end the war without Kyiv's participation pose a threat to everyone.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy also noted that he was ready to sit down with Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin for the sake of peace, despite his hostile attitude. He also added that he did not see a ready-made peace plan from Trump, but conveyed his readiness to negotiate.

However, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he was ready to «allocate people» to negotiate with Ukraine to end the war. At the same time, he called any such talks «illegitimate».

Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine does not recognise the loss of its territories, but is ready for diplomatic solutions to return them if it becomes a NATO member.