President Donald Trump is weighing how to proceed with peace talks between Russia and Ukraine amid a pause in negotiations, describing himself as “not happy at all.”
Trump expressed some frustration on Truth Social on Friday, pondering whether he would need to take part in the next round of discussions, though he would “rather not.”
“We’re going to see if [Russian President Vladimir] Putin and [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelensky will be working together. It’s like oil and vinegar a little bit. They don’t get along too well for obvious reasons,” Trump wrote. “But we’ll see. And we’ll see whether or not I would have to be there. I’d rather not, I’d rather them have a meeting and see how they can do.”
The Kremlin has stalled for days on the establishment of a plan for bilateral talks between Putin and Zelensky. It continues to signal willingness for peace negotiations while simultaneously denying that the preconditions have been met for a meeting to be arranged.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov made this position clear in an interview on Meet the Press with Kristen Welker on Friday morning.
“President Putin said clearly that he is ready to meet, provided this meeting is really going to have an agenda, presidential agenda. There is no meeting planned,” Lavrov said. “Putin is ready to meet with Zelensky when the agenda would be ready for a summit. And this agenda is not ready at all.”
Russia asserted that Putin would only meet with Zelensky if the plan for peace were already established and codified ahead of time, frustrating the White House, which hoped the two leaders would handle the question of territory swaps themselves.
When asked about the situation later the same day by a reporter, Trump ratcheted up his vocal unhappiness over the lack of progress and seemed to make a threat.
“I’m not happy about anything about that war — nothing. Not happy at all. I think over the next two weeks, we’re going to find out which way it’s going to go,” Trump said. “And I better be very happy.”
Trump scored a rapid series of apparent wins on the peace deal last week when he met with Putin in Anchorage, Alaska. The Russian delegation seemed to indicate that previously inadmissible concessions, such as a security guarantee placing foreign troops on Ukrainian soil, were now on the table.
This was followed by an immediate pivot to the council of European powers backing Ukraine, with world leaders flying to Washington, D.C., for game-planning within 48 hours.
However, the next step — the proposed bilateral meeting between Putin and Zelensky — is proving to be a massive hurdle.
Putin, who has characterized Zelensky as an “illegitimate” leader of a “fake” country, would be making a massive concession by even appearing alongside the Ukrainian leader. The image would give the impression of equality and shatter the Russian narrative of domination over the smaller country.
As frustration mounts in Washington, D.C., talk could soon give way to action.
Trump seems to be entertaining the idea of lifting restrictions on Ukrainian use of weapons from the West to strike further into Russian territory, a pivot that would allow Kyiv to finally counterattack against territory that Europe and the previous administration deemed off-limits for its armaments.
“It is very hard, if not impossible, to win a war without attacking an invaders country,” Trump ruminated Thursday morning on Truth Social. “It’s like a great team in sports that has a fantastic defense, but is not allowed to play offense. There is no chance of winning!It is like that with Ukraine and Russia.”
He continued, “Crooked and grossly incompetent Joe Biden would not let Ukraine FIGHT BACK, only DEFEND. How did that work out? Regardless, this is a war that would have NEVER happened if I were President – ZERO CHANCE. Interesting times ahead!!!”
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Zelensky has remained adamant that Ukraine is prepared for peace negotiations at any time, but alleged that Putin has no intention of sitting down at the table with him.
“There is still no signal from Moscow that they truly intend to engage in substantive negotiations and end this war,” Zelensky said on Thursday. “Pressure is needed. Strong sanctions, strong tariffs. I thank everyone who is helping.”