Trump on Zelenskyy: 'I don't think he's very important to be in meetings'
Photo: US President Donald Trump (Getty Images)
US President Donald Trump believes that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's presence at meetings on ending the war is not very important. He also explained why the Ukrainian side was not invited to the recent talks in Saudi Arabia, AP News reports.
Trump explained why Zelenskyy was not invited to the meeting in Saudi Arabia. According to him, it was not a priority because "he makes it very hard to make deals".
"I don't think he's very important to be in meetings," the US President stated.
Trump also described US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's trip to Kyiv as "a wasted trip."
Additionally, Trump claimed that Russian leader Vladimir Putin wants a peace deal but "he doesn’t have to make a deal. Because if he wanted, he would get the whole country".
Meeting of the US and Russia in Saudi Arabia
On February 18, a meeting took place in Riyadh between representatives from Washington and Moscow to discuss ending the war in Ukraine. The US delegation, led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, included National Security Advisor Michael Waltz and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff.
After the meeting, Rubio stated that the next step in the US negotiations to end the war would consist of three components. He emphasized the need to assemble a high-level team and establish serious diplomatic missions to continue communication.
US State Department representative Tammy Bruce also confirmed that during the Riyadh meeting, both sides agreed to appoint teams to work on ending the war "in a way that is enduring, sustainable, and acceptable to all sides."
Meanwhile, Ukraine has stressed that any negotiations must include the country’s participation. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized that Ukraine will not recognize the results of the US-Russia talks in Saudi Arabia.
