Trump suggests Zelensky ‘won’t be around very long’ without ceasefire deal

WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump on March 3 warned that he would “not put up” much longer with Mr Volodymyr Zelensky’s stance on the war with Russia, as the Ukrainian leader countered he wanted to end it “as soon as possible”.

In a new sign of frayed ties following their White House blow-up last week, Mr Trump called Mr Zelensky’s assertion that an agreement to end the war remained distant

“the worst statement that could have been made

” by the Ukrainian President.

“America will not put up with it for much longer,” Mr Trump said on social media.

The comment came after the Ukrainian President accused Russia – which invaded Ukraine in 2014 and

greatly expanded the conflict in 2022

– of not being serious about peace.

He warned that tough security guarantees were the only way to end the conflict.

But Mr Trump’s attacks on Mr Zelensky have upended US support for Ukraine, and Washington’s allies more broadly, and stoked concern about the United States pivoting to Russia.

The US President stepped up his threats during an event at the White House later in the day, suggesting that Mr Zelensky “won’t be around very long” without a ceasefire deal with Moscow.

He said the Ukrainian leader should be “more appreciative” of the billions of dollars of military aid that Washington has contributed to Kyiv’s fight against Russia.

But he offered hope that a minerals deal that fell through last week due to the row could be revived, and played down reports that he could halt military aid.

European support

“Now, maybe somebody doesn’t want to make a deal, and if somebody doesn’t want to make a deal, I think that person won’t be around very long,” Mr Trump said.

After weekend crisis talks in London, Britain and France are investigating how to propose a one-month truce “in the air, at sea and on energy infrastructure” – potentially backstopped by troops on the ground.

Mr Zelensky said discussions were still focusing on the “first steps”, adding: “An agreement on ending the war is very, very far away” – a comment that angered Mr Trump.

Mr Zelensky added in a video statement on March 3 that “real, honest peace” would only come with security guarantees for Ukraine, which agreed to denuclearise in 1994 only in exchange for protection provided by the US and Britain.

“It was the lack of security guarantees for Ukraine 11 years ago that allowed Russia to start with the occupation of Crimea and the war in Donbas, then the lack of security guarantees allowed Russia to launch a full-scale invasion,” Mr Zelensky said.

Russia dismissed his comments, accusing him of not wanting peace – echoing US criticisms after he was shouted down in the Oval Office on Feb 28.

On the ground, Ukrainian officials reported fatalities from a Russian missile strike on a military training facility, some 130km from the front line.

A respected military blogger said between 30 and 40 soldiers were killed and 90 more wounded in the attack near Dnipro on March 1.

‘Deliberate escalation’?

Mr Trump had previously called Mr Zelensky, president since 2019, a “dictator” for not holding elections, even though martial law precludes any vote because of the war.

Mr Zelensky dismissed calls for him to resign, repeating his pledge to do so only if Ukraine were given Nato membership, which Russia – and now the US under Mr Trump – opposes.

In Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov blamed Mr Zelensky for the Feb 28 White House blow-up with Mr Trump and Vice-President J.D. Vance, saying the Ukrainian leader “demonstrated a complete lack of diplomatic abilities”.

“He doesn’t want peace,” Mr Peskov told reporters.

But Germany’s likely next chancellor, Mr Friedrich Merz, said the astonishing clash was a “deliberate escalation” by Mr Trump.

US and Russian officials have held talks on ending the war, enraging Ukraine and Europe for being sidelined, and prompting fears in Kyiv and beyond that any deal could threaten the country’s future.

Mr Zelensky triggered Mr Trump and Mr Vance’s ire by questioning whether Russia could be trusted to uphold a truce.

French President Emmanuel Macron told daily newspaper Le Figaro that a truce would not, initially at least, cover ground fighting, as the size of the meandering front line would make it hard to enforce.

Mr Macron met Mr Trump in Washington last week, as did Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who insisted on March 2 that the US was “not an unreliable ally”, despite Mr Trump’s overtures to Mr Putin. AFP