FROM THE HILL: President Trump criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday over the leader’s resistance to cede territory to Russia, saying he disagrees “very, very severely” with Zelensky.
In an attempt to broker an end to the conflict, Trump announced last week he will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday.
Trump has said the meeting will touch on some territorial swapping for “the betterment of both” countries, a proposal Zelensky staunchly opposed Saturday.
“Of course, we will not give Russia any awards for what it has done. The Ukrainian people deserve peace,” he said, adding that “all partners” must understand peace and that “Ukrainians will not give their land to an occupier.”
Trump expressed frustration with Zelensky’s stance.
“I get along with Zelensky, but, you know, I disagree with what he’s done. Very, very severely disagree. This is a war that should have never happened,” Trump said in comments to reporters at the White House.
“I was a little bothered by the fact that Zelensky was saying, ‘Well, I have to get constitutional approval.’ I mean, he’s got approval to go into war and kill everybody, but he needs approval to do a land swap — because there’ll be some land swapping going on,” Trump said.
Trump said the land swap will be “for the good of Ukraine,” but admitted that any deal will involve “some bad stuff for both” Kyiv and Moscow.
“So, it’s good and there’s bad, but it’s very complex, because you have lines that are very uneven, and there’ll be some swapping. There’ll be some changes in land,” he said.
Zelensky will not be at the summit with Putin, but Trump said meeting between Zelensky and Putin should happen soon, with or without his involvement.
“We’re going to have a meeting with Vladimir Putin, and at the end of that meeting, probably in the first two minutes, I’ll know exactly whether or not a deal can be made,” he said. “Ultimately, I’m going to put the two of them in a room. I’ll be there, or I won’t be there, and I think it’ll get solved.”
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