By Al Ahed Staff, Agencies
US President Donald Trump has claimed that nearly all Ukrainians supported his proposed peace plan for ending the conflict with Russia—except for President Vladimir Zelensky, who rejected it.
Trump argued that Zelensky is “losing” ground militarily and reiterated his view that Ukraine should hold elections, since Zelensky’s presidential term expired in May 2024.
Speaking at the White House on Thursday, Trump said he believed the US had been “very close” to securing an agreement between Kiev and Moscow. According to Trump, “other than President Zelensky, his people loved the concept of the deal,” which he said could have prevented thousands of deaths each month.
Trump acknowledged that the unresolved question of territory remained a major obstacle, saying the issue involved “cutting up land” and was therefore difficult to settle. He declined to specify whether his approach resembled a Korean-style ceasefire.
Reports say Trump’s plan proposed that Ukraine withdraw from the remaining parts of Donbass still under its control—an idea aligned with one of Moscow’s demands. Zelensky has repeatedly insisted that Ukraine will not cede territory, although he said on Thursday that such matters could eventually be decided “through elections or a referendum.”
Russia has maintained that lasting peace depends on Ukraine recognizing the borders claimed by Moscow. President Vladimir Putin said during a recent visit to India that Russia would continue military operations to take full control of Donbass if Kiev refused to withdraw.
Putin has also argued that Zelensky is no longer a legitimate president, a position echoed by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, who stated that Ukraine must hold elections now that Zelensky’s constitutional term has ended.
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