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Donald Trump has indicated that elections should occur in Ukraine as part of a peace agreement with Russia, marking his first public statement following high-level discussions between the US and Russia in Riyadh.
While critiquing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s approach to the conflict, the US president remarked: “It’s been a long time since we’ve had an election” in Ukraine. “That’s not a Russia thing. That’s coming from me and many other nations,” he commented to reporters at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.
“Current leadership [in Ukraine] has allowed a war to continue that should never have taken place,” he added, likening Ukrainian cities to “demolition sites”.
“These cities resemble Gaza,” he stated, with “most of the cities . . . lying in ruins. The buildings have collapsed.”
The president did not reference Russia’s significant role in the destruction of Ukrainian cities and towns during its large-scale invasion, which has been the largest military conflict on European soil since World War II.
Although Zelenskyy’s term lapsed last year, Kyiv has declared that it can only proceed with elections once hostilities cease and martial law is lifted.
David Arakhamia, leader of Zelenskyy’s ruling party in the parliament, recently stated that elections should not take place until at least six months after the end of martial law.
Organizing elections would pose substantial challenges as millions of Ukrainians are displaced, many living abroad or in territories occupied by Russia. Kyiv has raised security concerns around conducting polls, suggesting that Western peacekeepers or a security force would be necessary to safeguard voters.
A survey by the non-profit International Republican Institute, conducted in September and October, revealed that 60 percent of Ukrainians oppose holding a presidential election during the ongoing war. Additionally, 52 percent expressed disapproval for voting on a new parliament while the conflict persists.
There are pervasive concerns in Kyiv and across Europe that Trump aims to resolve the conflict in favor of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The US has already made substantial concessions to Putin, overshadowing Ukraine’s aspirations to join NATO and regain control over territory occupied by Russia.
Trump expressed that he feels “more confident” about achieving a peace settlement in Ukraine after recent US discussions with Russia in Riyadh, which he labeled as “very good”.
Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, and Sergei Lavrov, Russia’s foreign minister, represented their countries in a four-and-a-half-hour meeting in the Saudi capital.
After the meeting, they agreed to “set the stage for future cooperation” aimed at ending the Ukraine conflict and rapidly normalizing relations, following their first high-level conversations on the matter since Putin’s invasion in February 2022.
Zelenskyy noted that he had not been informed of the talks beforehand and emphasized that Ukraine would reject any settlement that does not directly involve its input. “We don’t want a peace agreement negotiated behind closed doors without our participation,” he stated. “Without Ukraine, peace cannot be realized.”
Trump also noted his “deep disappointment” that Ukraine felt “upset about not having a place” at the Riyadh discussions, admonishing Kyiv for not bringing the war to an end. “Well, they’ve had a seat for three years, long before this, and this situation could have been resolved quite easily,” Trump remarked.
He affirmed his support for European peacekeeping forces in Ukraine post-conflict, though Lavrov remarked on Tuesday that any European peacekeeping mission in the country would be “unacceptable”.
“If they want to do that, that’s great. I fully support it and would not oppose it at all,” Trump stated to reporters.
He also clarified that he had no intention of withdrawing all US troops from Europe as part of a peace deal. “Nobody’s suggesting that, and I don’t believe that’s necessary. I wouldn’t want to see that happen. But that question has never really arisen.”
As Trump criticized Zelenskyy’s leadership, he claimed the Ukrainian president’s approval rating had fallen to 4 percent.
However, a poll from the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology in December indicated that 52 percent of Ukrainians had confidence in Zelenskyy.
“I have a personal liking for him,” Trump remarked about Zelenskyy. “He’s fine. But I’m not concerned about personal feelings. I care about accomplishing the task.”
Additional reporting by James Politi in Washington
