Trump wants Zelensky to close a deal with Russia and claims that the US has received "nothing in return" for the aid provided to Ukraine.

The American President Donald Trump stated on Tuesday that he wants his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, to "reach an agreement" with Russia, complaining that the United States has received "nothing in return" for the support given to Kyiv, according to Euronews. During a press conference at the White House, Trump said: "We want Zelenskyy to reach an agreement. He can reach an agreement." "They could have reached an agreement two years ago when we had that little discussion in the Oval Office," he continued, apparently referring to the exchange of replies between the two, which took place during a meeting at the beginning of 2025. "He will have to want to reach an agreement, because I don't think the people will accept this situation anymore." Zelenskyy and Trump have had a volatile relationship since the US president began his second term in January of last year, but it has deteriorated even further in recent weeks, after the leader from the White House reached an agreement on fuel with Russian President Vladimir Putin and criticized the impact of Ukrainian attacks on Russia's energy sector on global fuel prices. On Tuesday, Trump – who is preparing for the decisive intermediate elections, aiming to establish the composition of Congress for the last two years of his term – seemed to place the blame for the ongoing war on Zelenskyy, repeatedly stating that he had the opportunity to reach an agreement and that the US received nothing in return for the aid given, "except suffering, death" and "huge financial losses". "We gave huge sums to Ukraine; we received nothing in return. Except for expensive gasoline," the American leader added. "American taxpayers are fed up with this." "It is time to reach an understanding," he said. Trump's statements were made shortly after Zelenskyy met with an American delegation led by special envoy Steve Witkoff, who travels to Russia on Wednesdays for a meeting with Putin. Following the discussions in Oslo, to which Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store also participated, Zelenskyy appeared relatively optimistic, stating to journalists that he recently had a constructive phone conversation with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and requested the organization of a trilateral meeting with Trump and Putin. The Ukrainian leader also addressed the issue of reported restrictions on information exchange during a press conference with the leaders of the Nordic countries, stating that he is "grateful" that "the information is working" now. "I am referring to the early warning system, which is extremely important for our population, for children, adults and civilians, because it allows us to hear when a ballistic missile is approaching," he said. In a post on social media, later that evening, Zelenskyy added: "It was a constructive discussion because we all want peace – Ukraine, Europe, the United States. And we will see what happens tomorrow." Read also: Kremlin feels Washington's despair. Trump's latest moves give ground to Russia, but Putin sticks to his plans Elon Musk might have intervened in the functioning of Starshield in Ukraine, after tensions between Kyiv and Washington Editor: A.M.G.