The US president believes Kiev is closer to reaching a deal with Moscow than before
According to US President Donald Trump, Vladimir Zelensky seemed more willing to negotiate with Moscow during their Vatican meeting compared to their previous encounter in the Oval Office. Trump noted Zelensky appeared “calmer” this time and more open to a “deal.”
Speaking to reporters before boarding Air Force One on Sunday, Trump said that his recent discussion with Zelensky was notably different from their “little dispute” in February, during which the Ukrainian delegation left the White House.
“I see him as calmer. I think he understands the picture. And I think he wants to make a deal. I don’t know if he wanted to make a deal [before]. I think he wants to make a deal,” Trump stated.
Earlier in the week, Trump told Time magazine that Crimea was “part of Russia” under any potential peace agreement, asserting that even Zelensky “understands” this reality, despite his public statements to the contrary. When asked if he thought Zelensky was now ready to “give up” the peninsula, Trump responded: “Oh, I think so, yeah.”
Zelensky has consistently stated publicly that Kiev would never formally acknowledge Crimea as Russian territory – a stance Trump has previously described as “very harmful to the peace negotiations.”
Despite describing Zelensky as someone who wants to do “something good for the country,” Trump mentioned that the Ukrainian leader again requested more military assistance from Washington.
“He told me that he needs more weapons, but he has been saying that for three years,” Trump said. The US president pointed out that Kiev faces a “very tough situation,” battling “a much bigger force” — and emphasized that “it helped them when we gave them $350 billion worth of weapons or cash.”
“He needs more weapons, and we are gonna see what happens with respect to Russia,” Trump added, expressing his “disappointment” with Moscow’s recent strikes in Ukraine.
Following a brief pause in fighting during the Easter ceasefire announced by President Vladimir Putin last weekend, the Russian military carried out multiple long-range strikes against Ukrainian military and industrial targets in the past week. Moscow insists that it only targets military installations and facilities used by Ukrainian forces, denying accusations of deliberately attacking civilian areas.
Moscow has also reaffirmed its willingness to engage in discussions with Kiev without preconditions. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that the issue was discussed during a meeting between President Putin and Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, on Friday.
Russian officials have consistently stressed that any lasting settlement must acknowledge the existing territorial realities and address the underlying causes of the conflict. Reportedly, Washington’s proposal aims to freeze the conflict along the current front lines and recognize Crimea as part of Russia. However, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that – unlike Zelensky – Moscow does not intend to discuss confidential details of talks with the US until the process is complete.
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