Trump says Zelensky is obstacle to Russia deal, calls Putin ‘cooperative’ in Politico interview
President Donald Trump said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is the obstacle to a settlement with Russia and described Russian President Vladimir Putin as cooperative, sharpening his pressure on Kyiv as the war grinds on.
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“Zelensky, he has to get on the ball, and he has to get a deal done,” Trump said in an interview with Politico. Returning to language he used during a tense White House meeting a year ago — when he and Vice President JD Vance publicly berated Zelensky — Trump suggested Ukraine is negotiating from weakness. “It’s unthinkable that he’s the obstacle,” he said. “You don’t have the cards. Now he’s got even less cards.”
The comments mark one of Trump’s clearest public signals that he expects Kyiv to make concessions to end the conflict, casting the Ukrainian president as the key impediment rather than the Kremlin. Trump has long argued that U.S. support for Ukraine is wasteful and has repeatedly spoken admiringly of Putin, whom he invited to Alaska in August.
Trump’s latest remarks came after he launched a war with Israel against Iran on Saturday, a move estimated to have cost the United States billions of dollars already. The widening crisis underscores the administration’s effort to recalibrate American commitments even as the Ukraine war enters another punishing phase.
On the campaign trail and after taking office, Trump vowed to end the Ukraine war on his first day in January 2025. He has since acknowledged the goal has been more difficult to achieve, with Russia keeping up attacks on Ukraine. While urging negotiations, he has balked at more aggressive measures against Moscow, arguing he is uniquely capable of engaging both sides to broker a deal.
By casting Putin as accommodating and Zelensky as recalcitrant, Trump is attempting to reframe the diplomatic landscape — and the leverage within it. The approach signals mounting pressure on Kyiv to consider a settlement as Russia presses its military advantages and Ukraine faces constrained resources.
Trump’s posture also reflects a broader skepticism within his circle about the strategic return on continued U.S. aid. It echoes his previous public critiques of Ukraine’s prospects and aligns with his view that Washington should reduce entanglements that do not deliver immediate benefits to the United States.
The Politico interview did not detail specific terms Trump would pursue in potential talks, nor did it clarify what concessions he believes Ukraine should make. But the message was blunt: that time and leverage are running against Kyiv, and that the path to ending the war runs through compromise with Moscow.
For Zelensky, who has argued that yielding territory to Russia would reward aggression and undermine European security, Trump’s framing sets up a public clash over both ends and means. For Putin, the U.S. president’s comments serve as validation that pressure should be applied on Kyiv rather than the Kremlin — even as Russian forces sustain their campaign.
As the battlefield dynamic evolves and domestic debates intensify over the cost and scope of U.S. support, Trump’s remarks are likely to deepen fault lines in Western policy toward Ukraine. They also add urgency to questions of what a negotiated outcome would look like — and who will define its terms.
By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
