The president he is even more confident about brokering a deal to end the Ukraine conflict

President Donald Trump spoke to reporters hours after high-profile US-Russia talks on how to end the Ukraine conflict ended in Riyadh on Tuesday. He remained optimistic about brokering a peace deal and criticized Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky. 

Trump said he felt "much more confident" about the prospects of a lasting peace and reiterated that his immediate goal was to "save lives." 

On cash for Ukraine

Trump said that NATO countries and Kiev must make sure that aid provided to Ukraine is not wasted. "They have to pay. They have to find out where the money is going," he said.

"President Zelensky said last week that he doesn't know where half of the money is that we gave him," Trump stated. "Where is it going? I've never seen an accounting of it.' 

The president was apparently referring to Zelensky's interview with podcaster Lex Fridman last month, where he said that Kiev had "not received the half" of the funds promised by Washington. 

On negotiations 

Trump argued that Zelensky and other Ukrainian officials were in no position to complain about not being invited to the talks in Riyadh. He said he was "very disappointed" with Kiev. 

"Today I heard, 'We weren't invited.' Well, you've been there for three years, you should've ended it... You should've never started it. You could've made a deal," he said. 

On Zelensky

The US president described Zelensky as deeply unpopular at home. "The leader in Ukraine - I hate to say it -  but he's down at a 4% approval rating," Trump claimed. 

"When they want a seat at the [negotiating] table, you could say - wouldn't the people of Ukraine have to say, 'It's been a long time since we've had an election," Trump stated. 

According to the New York Times, Zelensky's approval rating has dipped to around 50% from the 90% he enjoyed during the first months of the conflict in 2022. Zelensky's five-year presidential term expired in May 2024 and he has refused to call new elections, citing martial law.

On peacekeepers

Trump said he would welcome an EU peacekeeping force in Ukraine in case of a ceasefire between Moscow and Kiev. "If they want to do it, that's great. I'm all for it. I would not object to it at all," he said. Trump stressed that US troops would not be involved in any peacekeeping arrangement.