Trump intensifies criticism of Zelensky and again calls for elections in Ukraine
U.S. President Donald Trump said he considers Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky a more difficult negotiating partner than Russian leader Vladimir Putin. He accused Zelensky of not wanting to end the war and suggested that a peace deal could be made without his participation.
Trump said this on October 15 in an interview with Newsmax, answering host Rob Finnerty's questions about the Russo-Ukrainian war and the resumption of Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries.
The journalist reminded the American president that he had demanded Zelensky stop attacks on Russian refineries, but Ukraine resumed them.
"Yes, I demanded. Zelensky is not the best person for us in negotiations. Biden gave him hundreds of billions of dollars. Billions and billions of dollars", Trump replied.
Asked whether he had lost trust in Zelensky, the U.S. president said he did not see him as a participant in a future peace settlement.
"I think if they eventually reach some agreement, it won't be with him. He doesn't want to negotiate. He says he wants to negotiate, but it's not true. No, I'm not a big fan of Zelensky. They destroyed this country", Trump said.
The American president also linked peace settlement difficulties to personal relations between Zelensky and Putin. He mentioned their failed, in his opinion, meeting and said the mutual dislike of the two leaders hampers agreements.
"Putin hates Zelensky, and Zelensky hates Putin. And when there is such hatred, it is very difficult to agree on anything", he explained.
Meanwhile, Trump expressed hope that the war would end soon. According to him, both sides are allegedly interested in stopping hostilities.
"It should end soon. I think they both would actually like the war to end. But it seems to me that it's harder to deal with Zelensky than with Putin", the U.S. president noted.
Separately, Trump again accused Ukraine of raising global oil prices. According to him, the resumption of strikes on Russian oil refineries negatively affects the global fuel market.
"If you tell me Zelensky is again attacking oil refineries, then all he is doing is raising global oil prices. I think it's a disgrace. There are many other targets. There are many objects that can be struck", Trump stated.
He emphasized that he is particularly unhappy with attacks on enterprises that produce diesel fuel.
"When you attack plants where diesel fuel is produced, and it is needed by us and the whole world, you are not doing the world a good service," the American president said.
During the interview, Trump also returned to the events of 2014 and again blamed former U.S. President Barack Obama for Ukraine's loss of Crimea.
"It all really started with Barack Obama, when they forced Ukraine to give up Crimea. Crimea is the most valuable part of Ukraine, certainly", he claimed.
Trump explained his assessment by the peninsula's geographic location and attractiveness, noting that as a real estate developer he understands the value of such territory.
Russia occupied and illegally annexed Crimea in 2014. The Obama administration did not recognize the annexation and imposed sanctions on Moscow. The same policy was continued by subsequent administrations.
Another topic was American military aid to Ukraine. Trump criticized former President Joe Biden for transferring weapons to Kyiv without payment, repeating claims that aid amounted to about $350 billion.
He also compared Zelensky to the 19th-century American entrepreneur and showman Phineas Taylor Barnum, known for his ability to attract public attention.
"They gave him a huge amount of Patriots, Tomahawks, everything else. And didn't make him pay", the American president asserted.
Trump, without providing evidence, also accused Ukraine of allegedly reselling missiles received from the U.S. on the open market.
Meanwhile, these claims contradict published data on American aid. The Biden administration did not transfer Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine, and the $350 billion aid figure cited by Trump significantly exceeds official figures.
According to Trump, his administration is now actively replenishing U.S. weapons stockpiles, including missiles for Patriot systems and Tomahawk cruise missiles. The U.S. president said that after creating sufficient reserves, Washington will expand opportunities for selling weapons to allies.
During the conversation, Trump again raised the issue of elections in Ukraine. He noted that Zelensky has been in power for a long time and also recounted an interview with a Ukrainian woman who allegedly accused the Ukrainian president of losing men in the war.
When the journalist reminded him that Zelensky had proposed a two-month ceasefire to hold elections, Trump replied:
"I think you need elections. Because no one will convince me that Ukrainians are happy that missiles are hitting their residential buildings."
The American president also stressed Russia's numerical advantage, saying it can withstand much greater human losses, while Ukraine does not have comparable mobilization resources.
Holding presidential elections in Ukraine during martial law is prohibited by law. Zelensky has previously stated readiness to organize voting on condition of a full ceasefire for at least 60 days, but Russia rejected such a truce proposal.
Trump's new statements came amid escalating tensions between Kyiv and Washington over strikes on Russian oil infrastructure. On October 9, the American president announced an agreement with Putin on supplying Russian diesel fuel to the world market and easing related sanctions. The White House hopes in this way to lower fuel prices ahead of midterm elections to the U.S. Congress on November 3.
On October 11, Trump announced an allegedly agreed energy truce between Russia and Ukraine. Zelensky later said that Kyiv had refrained from strikes on Russian energy facilities for three days, but Moscow continued to attack Ukrainian infrastructure.
On October 15, in an interview with Financial Times, Zelensky announced the lifting of restrictions on strikes on Russian oil refineries. At the same time, he allowed a new pause in exchange for additional American interceptor missiles for Patriot systems.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the Trump administration has asked Ukraine to stop attacks on Russian oil refineries about six times since mid-September. The Ukrainian side proposed mutual cessation of strikes on energy facilities, but Moscow did not agree. The newspaper also noted that energy analysts attribute the rise in diesel fuel prices primarily to the war against Iran.
The day before, on October 14, Zelensky admitted in an interview with British journalist Piers Morgan that he felt betrayed by Washington's decisions regarding Russia. He said Ukraine is losing a strong partner, and Trump's position is disappointing.
Sources: Newsmax, Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal