President Trump just claimed that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is actually the one slowing down progress toward ending the war in Ukraine, as per The Hill. That’s a huge statement, especially since the administration has been trying hard to broker peace and seemed to be making headway just a few weeks ago.
When the president was pressed directly on why negotiations led by the U.S. haven’t managed to find a solution to end the conflict, his answer was incredibly concise: “Zelensky.” It certainly sounds like he’s putting the full responsibility for the stalled talks squarely on Kyiv right now.
President Trump also mentioned that he believes Russian President Vladimir Putin is surprisingly amenable to a resolution. “I think he’s ready to make a deal,” Trump said, before contrasting that readiness with the Ukrainian position. He concluded simply that he thinks Ukraine is “less ready to make a deal.”
This public critique represents a massive pivot in tone, especially considering how positive the rhetoric was just weeks ago
Previously, President Trump and President Zelensky met up and held a joint press conference where they announced that they were seeing forward motion on a 20-point peace proposal that Zelensky supports. President Trump was enthusiastic about the results of that session, saying, “Our meeting was excellent, we covered — somebody would say 95 percent, I don’t know what percent — but we have made a lot of progress on ending that war.”
Even during the optimistic press conference following the Mar-a-Lago summit, however, President Trump did hint at the unavoidable obstacle that continues to trip up negotiations: territory. When he was asked specifically about “the thorniest issues still unresolved,” he immediately pointed to the land that Russia has seized or currently occupies.
The president clearly sees the clock ticking on this issue and seems to believe that waiting will only weaken Ukraine’s position. “I think the land, you’re talking about, some of that land has been taken,” Trump stated. He went on to explain his urgency. “Some of that land is maybe up for grabs, but it may be taken over the next period of a number of months, and you’re better off making a deal now.”
It seems like the core disagreement boils down to whether Ukraine should accept current territorial losses now in exchange for peace, or if they should continue fighting to recover every inch of territory, which risks prolonging the war and potentially losing more ground.
The president has been consistent throughout his second term in trying to bring this devastating conflict to an end, even meeting with Putin in Alaska a few months ago to push for a resolution. Despite all those high-level discussions and the seemingly productive Mar-a-Lago meeting, this new public statement makes it crystal clear that the path to peace is still blocked by fundamental disagreements.
If President Trump believes one side is actively stalling, you can bet the diplomatic pressure on President Zelensky is only going to ramp up over the coming weeks.
Published: Jan 15, 2026 12:30 pm