Ukraine’s government has been insufficiently thankful for American aid, President Trump said Sunday, appearing to repeat his criticism of President Volodymyr Zelensky just as representatives from both nations were meeting to discuss a peace plan with Russia.
The complaint could increase the pressure on the Ukrainian president to accede to the 28-point peace plan, which includes many of the maximalist demands Moscow has made throughout the war. On Friday, Mr. Zelensky said the plan amounted to one of the most difficult moments in the country’s history.
Mr. Trump’s comment, which he shared in a post on social media, was only the latest expression of disdain for the Ukrainian leadership that he has made since his return to office.
“UKRAINE ‘LEADERSHIP’ HAS EXPRESSED ZERO GRATITUDE FOR OUR EFFORTS,” Trump said.
Hours later, Mr. Zelensky thanked Mr. Trump in a statement on social media.
“We are grateful for everything that America and President Trump are doing for security, and we keep working as constructively as possible,” he said.
Although he did not mention Mr. Zelensky directly, Mr. Trump has frequently raised similar complaints about the Ukrainian president, whom he described in February as a “dictator without elections” in echoing a demand by Russia that Ukraine hold a presidential election, which are suspended under martial law.
Later in February, a meeting between the two men in the Oval Office that had been intended to smooth over the relationship descended into acrimony as Mr. Trump and Vice President JD Vance accused Mr. Zelensky of being disrespectful to the United States and argued that Ukraine was in trouble. The two leaders subsequently put the episode behind them, trading kinder words before Mr. Trump’s criticism on Sunday.
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in 2022, Mr. Zelensky has repeatedly expressed thanks to the United States and its allies for tens of billions of dollars in military aid and other support, but he has also pressed for more.
That approach has at times caused tension with Ukraine’s allies. For example, Britain’s former defense minister, Ben Wallace, said in 2023 that Kyiv should express more appreciation. “We’re not Amazon,” he said, prompting Mr. Zelensky to quickly express his country’s appreciation for the help it had received.
Mr. Trump repeatedly criticized Ukraine’s requests for help during the administration of his predecessor, President Joseph R. Biden Jr., a staunch supporter of the government in Kyiv, and made it a central point of his campaign, along with claims that he would swiftly end the fighting.
On Sunday, Mr. Trump renewed his criticism of Mr. Biden, repeating his claim that Russia never would have invaded had he still been in office.
In a bid to end the conflict, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Steve Witkoff, Mr. Trump’s special envoy, met in Geneva on Sunday with Ukrainian officials over the peace plan. U.S. and Russian officials are also holding separate talks.
Under the proposal, Ukraine would have to cede some territory that it holds, limit the size of its military and forego efforts to join NATO. Ukraine’s allies including Britain, France and Germany have expressed reservations about the plan and many Ukrainians say that to accept its conditions would be tantamount to surrender.
Mr. Zelensky’s chief national security adviser, Rustem Umerov, said the proposals were a solid basis for discussion.
“Our current proposals, while still not finalized, include many Ukrainian priorities,” Mr. Umerov said on social media a few minutes after Mr. Trump’s post. “We appreciate our American partners working closely with us to understand our concerns to reach this critical point and we expect to make more progress.”
Matthew Mpoke Bigg is a London-based reporter on the Live team at The Times, which covers breaking and developing news.
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