Russia Ukraine War / Trump Presses Zelenskyy to Strike Peace Deal with Russia

Washington, Oct 21: US President Donald Trump has cautioned Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that postponing a peace agreement with Russia could leave Kyiv in an increasingly precarious position.

Trump argued that Moscow was steadily gaining ground and warned that Ukraine might no longer be able to secure the terms that were available earlier in the conflict.

Speaking in the Oval Office alongside Vice President JD Vance, Trump stressed that Russia’s military advantage and Ukraine’s mounting casualties made a negotiated settlement more urgent than ever.

“Russia’s a big machine. They just keep grinding forward, and that’s what they’ve done,” he said, adding that Russian forces continued to capture territory week by week.

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“They’ve taken a very large piece of land. And, you know, you can say that Ukraine is doing well or poorly, but the land gets bigger and bigger all the time, week by week.”

Trump’s description of battlefield developments was not accompanied by independently verified territorial data. Still, he insisted that Russia’s larger population gave it a decisive advantage in sustaining a prolonged war.

“Ukraine has to want to settle this war. Zelenskyy has to want to settle this war. And if he doesn’t, I think it’s going to be a very bad thing,” Trump said.

The President suggested that Zelenskyy had missed earlier opportunities to secure more favorable terms.

Referring to a previous Oval Office confrontation involving himself, Zelenskyy, and Vance, Trump remarked: “Could have made a good deal then. Could have made a much better deal then probably, possibly, that he can make now.”

Trump also criticized the scale of American financial and military assistance to Ukraine, claiming Washington had spent “hundreds of billions of dollars” with little return. He acknowledged arrangements involving Ukrainian land and rare‑earth resources but argued that European governments, too, were growing weary of the financial burden.

The President estimated that Russia and Ukraine together had lost 32,000 people in the past month, describing most of the casualties as soldiers. The figure was presented as Trump’s assessment and was not independently verified.

He said the continuing deaths were among his principal reasons for pressing for a settlement. “I thought — you know, I settled eight wars. I thought that would be the easiest one,” he said.

Trump attributed the difficulty of reaching an agreement partly to personal hostility between the two leaders. “The hatred between President Putin and President Zelenskyy is tremendous. I think that’s most of the reason they haven’t been able to make a deal, actually,” he said.

Asked whether the Russian and Ukrainian leaders would need to meet in person to conclude an agreement, Trump replied: “They don’t have to be in the same room; I guess I can do it another way.” He did not elaborate on what alternative diplomatic arrangement he envisaged.

Alongside his comments on the war, Trump disclosed that he had personally discussed the case of American prisoner Stephen Hubbard with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“I’ve been talking to President Putin about Mr. Hubbard,” Trump said. “I’ve been talking to him at length. I’ve asked him to release him, let’s see what happens.”

The President declined to confirm whether a prisoner‑release agreement was imminent but suggested reporters should revisit the matter within days. “I’d love to get him back. It’s time to have Mr. Hubbard back,” he said.

Trump’s remarks coincided with preparations by his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, to travel to Russia following diplomatic discussions in Oslo aimed at advancing peace efforts.

(IANS)