The US President put the onus on Ukraine for any delay, and claimed he could solve the war in Ukraine “thanks to certain abilities.”
"Russia is ready to negotiate and sign a peace deal," he said — offering no details, timelines, or evidence.
"I believe we have an agreement with Russia. We need to make a deal with Zelenskyy. And I hope Zelenskyy... I thought he’d be easier to work with. So far, it's been harder, but that’s okay. That’s fine. But I think we have a deal with both. I hope they’ll go through with it."
Earlier on April 23, Trump said that Zelenskyy was "complicating" negotiations with his statements about the Crimea and called Ukraine’s situation “horrible.”
He added that Zelenskyy’s assertion that Ukraine will never legally recognize Russia’s occupation of Crimea “seriously harms peace talks with Russia, because Crimea was lost many years ago.”
Following that, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Zelenskyy “appears to be moving in the wrong direction.”
US Vice President J.D. Vance stated that the United States will walk away from negotiations if both Ukraine and Russia refuse to make territorial concessions. According to Vance, both sides must give up parts of the territory they now control.
On April 22, Zelenskyy reiterated that Ukraine will not recognize the occupation of Crimea, adding that rumors of “Trump’s proposals” do not reflect the official US position.