Trump Slams Zelenskyy and Says ‘Somebody Else’ Should Negotiate for Ukraine
President Donald Trump sharply criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday, suggesting that Kyiv should appoint “somebody else” to lead peace negotiations with Russia. The remarks, delivered as Trump departed the White House for a campaign rally in Kansas, represent a new low in diplomatic relations between Washington and Kyiv amid growing friction over U.S. sanctions policy toward Moscow.
“I think it’s time for somebody else to negotiate on behalf of Ukraine,” Trump told reporters, questioning Zelenskyy’s handling of the ongoing conflict and signaling a willingness to meet directly with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping without Ukrainian representatives present. According to an official news report published by The Guardian, the public outburst followed Zelenskyy’s critique asserting that Washington was on the “wrong side of history”.
The escalating rhetoric coincides with a major policy shift from the White House regarding economic pressure on Moscow. Trump recently decided to waive specific sanctions against Russia that had been passed by Congress, defending the move as a necessary diplomatic gesture to facilitate potential peace talks.
Ukrainian officials and European allies expressed alarm over the unilateral easing of sanctions, warning that softening economic restrictions undermines Western leverage against Russian military operations. Trump dismissed those concerns, maintaining that prolonged diplomatic stalemate serves neither American nor Ukrainian interests and urging Kyiv to rethink its bargaining team as regional tensions mount.
