Washington: Following a tense meeting in the Oval Office on Friday, U.S. President Donald Trump criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, accusing him of exerting excessive pressure and handling negotiations in an unexpected manner.
Speaking to reporters after the discussion, Trump reiterated his stance that Zelensky holds "very weak cards" in potential peace talks. The U.S. president emphasized that the Ukrainian leader would only be considered a "strong" leader if he agreed to an American-proposed deal regarding mineral resources.
"Zelensky only wants war, war, and more war, while we want to put an end to this bloodshed," Trump asserted.
When asked what steps Zelensky should take to restart negotiations, Trump responded, "He must say that he wants peace."
During the conversation, Trump also repeated his threat to withdraw U.S. support, warning, "Either we will end this war, or they will have to fight alone."
