US President Donald Trump on Monday said Ukraine should find someone other than Volodymyr Zelenskyy to negotiate an end to its war with Russia, while defending Moscow’s actions in the four-year conflict.
“I think it’s time for somebody else to negotiate on behalf of Ukraine,” Trump told reporters on the South Lawn of the White House on Monday, before leaving for a campaign trip to Kansas.
He said the war should have ended much earlier if the Ukrainian president had followed his advice. “Zelenskyy is a man that should have had this war settled a long time ago,” Trump said, adding that Ukraine was “losing their male population”.
“If he would have listened to me, and you remember the Oval Office, he would have had to settle a long time ago,” he added, referring to his contentious meeting with Zelenskyy in February 2025.
.@POTUS: “Zelensky is a man that should’ve had this war settled a long time ago. If he would’ve listened to me, he would’ve made a much better deal a long time ago and he’d have a million people living… I think it’s time for somebody else to negotiate on behalf of Ukraine.” https://t.co/uCH6YtXlXy
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) October 19, 2026
During that encounter, Trump and Vice-President JD Vance clashed with the Ukrainian leader over US military assistance and whether Kyiv had shown sufficient gratitude for Washington’s support.
Trump told Zelenskyy at the time that he was not winning the war and was in a stronger position because of American military equipment.
On Monday, Trump also defended Russia, saying Moscow had “been fine on Ukraine” and “haven’t been doing much”.
His comments came despite continued Russian attacks on Ukraine. An attack on a park on Monday reportedly killed 10 people, including an infant in a stroller, according to the New York Post. Estimates cited by the newspaper put the number of Ukrainians killed in the war, including civilians, at more than 125,000.
Trump’s remarks follow his decision to pause sanctions on Russia and an agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin concerning Russian diesel fuel supplies to the US. The moves have drawn criticism from some Republicans, while Zelenskyy has accused Washington of taking steps that could pressure Ukraine into capitulation.
“I believe steps have been taken to convince Ukraine to capitulate,” Zelenskyy told Bloomberg News, describing the situation as his interpretation of the US approach.
The Ukrainian president has also criticised Trump’s decision to ease sanctions and defended Ukraine’s renewed attacks on Russian oil refineries, saying Kyiv was “only standing up for Ukraine’s interests”.
Trump, meanwhile, said the US had provided substantial assistance to Ukraine without receiving anything in return. “We’ve given a lot to Ukraine. They’ve given nothing to us. Remember that,” he said. “All I want is for Russia and Ukraine to stop that stupid war.”
Trump also said he would be open to meeting Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping next month while travelling to China. The Wall Street Journal reported that Putin had proposed the meeting to coincide with Trump’s planned visit. Zelenskyy was not invited, according to the report.
