Trump on Monday dismissed his concerns that Russia had form in breaching such agreements and suggested a peace accord could be struck with a different Ukrainian leader – a longtime Russian demand.
“It should not be that hard a deal to make,” Trump said. “It could be made very fast. If somebody doesn’t want to make a deal, I think that person won’t be around very long.”
Zelensky has repeatedly called for any ceasefire to be enforceable, including through commitments from Ukraine’s allies to come to its defence if attacked again.
In the Oval Office on Friday, Trump dismissed Zelensky’s concern as unimportant, confirming Ukrainians’ fears that he wants a peace accord at any cost.
“I don’t want to talk about security yet, because I want to get the deal done,” Trump said. “Security is so easy, that’s about 2 per cent of the problem. I’m not worried about security. I’m worried about getting the deal done.”
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Zelensky also outlined a series of steps for how he believed a peace process should unfold, suggesting that he wouldn’t be willing to sit down across from Russian President Vladimir Putin right away.
“The first stages could be the release of prisoners and truce in the sky – ban on missiles, long-ranged drones, bombs on energy and other civilian infrastructure – and truce in the sea immediately, if Russia will do the same,” Zelensky wrote.
“Then we want to move very fast through all next stages and to work with the US to agree a strong final deal.”
