President Donald Trump said that Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelensky “should've had this war settled a long time ago” on Monday, as tensions rise between him and the Eastern European leader.
Trump has repeatedly said that he wants to see an end to the war between Russia and Ukraine, and the recent diesel agreement with Russia and the United States led to an apparent divide between Zelensky and Trump. There’s also been heated points of contention surrounding recent issues with Starlink and Starshield access.
“I think it's time for somebody else to negotiate on behalf of Ukraine,” Trump told reporters on Monday before departing the White House, expressing frustration with the high death toll from the war.
"Have you agreed to a trilateral meeting with Presidents Putin and Xi?" @POTUS: "No, but I would do it... We would have it to talk about nuclear weapons and denuclearization." https://t.co/UezoZ3bFQ9
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) October 19, 2026
"We've given a lot to Ukraine. They've given nothing to us. Remember that,” he said, but still noted that there is still intelligence sharing between the two countries.
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American special envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff called with Zelensky on Sunday.
“Peace comes only through strength and cooperation built on trust. We are doing everything on our side to achieve this and to ensure that America's position is strong and helps bring about the peace that everyone except Russia has been awaiting for over four and a half years,” Zelensky posted to X on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly wants a summit between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping to end the conflict, according to Reuters.
“No, but I would do it,” Trump told reporters when asked if he had agreed to the meeting yet.
“We would have it to talk about nuclear weapons and denuclearization,” he added.
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