The US president has claimed he is \u201csaving that nation\u201d by trying to mediate between Moscow and Kiev<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ukraine could face a significant defeat in the near future if it does not sit down at the negotiating table with Russia, US President Donald Trump has warned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Trump made his comments in an interview with The Atlantic published on Monday. When asked whether he has sympathy for Kiev, the president replied by saying that his policy is aimed at \u201csaving\u201d Ukraine and warned that continued conflict would not bring the country any good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI think I\u2019m saving that nation. I think that nation will be crushed very shortly,\u201d he said, adding that Russia has a \u201cbig war machine. Let\u2019s face it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Separately, US Vice President J.D. Vance also emphasized on Monday that Kiev would not win the conflict against Moscow. \u201cIf this doesn\u2019t stop, the Ukrainians aren\u2019t winning the war,\u201d Vance, a US Marine Corps veteran, told Charlie Kirk. He also said it was \u201cweird\u201d to expect Russia to collapse because of the ongoing hostilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The US has grown increasingly frustrated with the slow pace of negotiations between Washington, Moscow and Kiev. Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned last week that the US could walk away from the talks altogether if the process stalls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Moscow has said it has always been ready to engage in peace talks, provided they ensure a permanent solution that addresses the root causes of the conflict. It opposed a proposal for a temporary ceasefire, pointing to past experience when Kiev and its Western backers used a hiatus to rearm the Ukrainian military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Last week, Trump himself also admitted that Russian President Vladimir Putin was easier to deal with than Ukraine\u2019s Vladimir Zelensky. \u201cI think Russia is ready\u2026 I think we have a deal with Russia. We have to get a deal with Zelensky,\u201d Trump told journalists at the time. The Ukrainian leader had earlier publicly rejected a reported key point in the proposed US peace framework by refusing to consider recognizing Crimea as Russian territory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Trump administration has been pushing for a resolution to the conflict since he took office in early 2025. Washington is also seeking to secure a minerals extraction agreement with Kiev to help offset the billions of dollars the US had spent on military and financial assistance to Ukraine under Trump\u2019s predecessor, Joe Biden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n