Trump presses Zelenskyy: ‘It’s time to reach a deal to end the war’

[Financial News]   U.S. President Donald Trump strongly urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to immediately begin negotiations with Russia. Trump complained that the United States had gained nothing while supporting Ukraine.
According to reports by foreign media outlets, including Euronews, Trump met with reporters at the White House in Washington, D.C., on the 20th (local time) and said, “We want President Zelenskyy to reach a deal, and he can,” adding, “He could already have negotiated when we spoke in the Oval Office two years ago.” This is understood to refer to the heated exchange between the two countries’ leaders in early 2025.
He continued, “President Zelenskyy will eventually want to negotiate because the Ukrainian people won’t put up with this any longer, either,” and claimed, “The United States provided enormous support to Ukraine, but all we got in return was sorrow and death, and huge financial losses.”
Ahead of the midterm elections, Trump has recently pointed to Ukraine’s attacks on Russian energy facilities as one of the causes of rising oil prices. He stressed, “The only thing we got was high diesel prices, and American taxpayers are tired of this,” adding, “Now is the time to negotiate.”
Trump’s remarks came shortly after Zelenskyy held talks in Oslo, Norway, with a delegation that included U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff. Witkoff is scheduled to visit Russia on the 21st and meet with President Vladimir Putin.
At a press conference after the Oslo talks, Zelenskyy referred to a constructive call with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and proposed a trilateral meeting involving Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
On the recently controversial issue of restrictions on intelligence sharing with the United States, he also said, “I’m grateful that U.S. intelligence sharing is back up and running, including early warning systems that can provide advance notice of ballistic missile attacks.”
Zelenskyy later said on social media, “The meeting was constructive because Ukraine, Europe and the United States all want peace,” adding, “We’ll see what happens tomorrow.”

[email protected] Yoon Jae-jun Reporter