Former U.S. President Donald Trump has responded to Volodymyr Zelensky’s objections about Ukraine being left out of recent peace talks with Russia, arguing that Kyiv should have negotiated a deal before the war began in 2022.
Speaking to reporters in Palm Beach, Trump said, “You should have never started it. You could have made a deal.” He added that he believes he has the power to end the war and expressed optimism after talks in Saudi Arabia, where U.S. and Russian officials met for the first time to discuss ending the conflict.
The talks in Riyadh took place without Ukrainian representatives, a decision that has sparked criticism. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz reaffirmed that “there must be no decision over the heads of Ukraine.” Kyiv insists it will not accept any agreement made without its direct involvement.
Trump’s national security adviser Mike Waltz stated that Trump personally spoke with Zelensky after his conversation with Vladimir Putin last week. Meanwhile, U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Zelensky in Germany on Friday.
Rubio emphasized that Russia appears willing to negotiate but acknowledged that a peace deal would require concessions from all sides. He also defended Ukraine’s absence from the summit, saying, “No one is being sidelined here.”
However, some European leaders remain skeptical. Nigel Gould-Davies, a senior fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, described the negotiations as “tilted in Russia’s favor” and questioned whether they amounted to “a series of American capitulations.”
The exclusion of Ukraine from the U.S.-Russia peace talks has further deepened tensions, with Zelensky postponing a planned visit to Saudi Arabia in response.
