U.S. President Donald Trump criticized Ukraine following discussions between Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Riyadh, expressing disappointment with Kyiv's reaction, which was not involved in the consultations.
"I heard they are upset that they don’t have a seat [at the negotiation table], but they’ve had a seat for three years and long before that. This could have been resolved very easily," he stated in response to a BBC reporter's question at his residence in Florida.
"You could have made a deal," Trump added.
Volodymyr Zelensky mentioned that the Russian-American meeting in Riyadh was a surprise for Kyiv.
According to Bloomberg, citing sources, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman wanted Zelensky to attend the talks, but Washington and Moscow insisted on a meeting without Ukraine's participation.
Trump also told reporters that Volodymyr Zelensky's rating allegedly "dropped to 4%" and that the country needs elections, effectively echoing one of Russian President Putin's main points.
According to the American president, after the negotiations in Saudi Arabia, he is "more confident" about achieving a peace agreement.
"The [negotiations] were very good. Russia wants to do something. They want to stop the wild barbarity."
He also stated that he supports sending European peacekeepers to Ukraine if a ceasefire agreement is reached.
"If they want to do that, I am completely for it," he said.
Trump suggested that he might meet with Putin by the end of February.
As he was leaving his residence in Mar-a-Lago, a journalist asked him if the meeting would happen by the end of the month.
"Probably," Trump replied.
Trump believes that Russia is not to blame for the conflict, but rather Ukraine is at fault. His interpretation of events would be incomprehensible in Ukraine and would not be expressed by any other American president.
He claims that Ukrainian leaders are to blame for not agreeing to territorial concessions and do not deserve a place at the negotiation table. He stated, "You shouldn’t have started this."
Trump asserted that the Ukrainian leadership allowed the onset of a war that should not have happened, while not placing any blame on Putin or Russia.
Moreover, the U.S. president seeks to view Russia as a partner for future joint ventures.