Kyiv : Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy outlined preparations for key talks with US President Donald Trump's representative, General Keith Kellogg. Zelenskyy further said that the discussions--and Ukraine's broader cooperation with the US--remain constructive. He also underscored the importance of a united goal for peace, one shared by both Ukraine's partners in the US and Europe, in order to ensure lasting security.
Sharing a post on X, Zelenskyy said, "A lot of meetings and briefings--military command, intelligence, ministers--all in preparation for talks with President Trump's representative, General Kellogg, who is already in Kyiv."
He added, "Our meeting is scheduled for tomorrow, and it is crucial that this discussion--and our overall cooperation with the US--remains constructive. Together with America and Europe, peace can be more secure, and that is our goal. But most importantly, this goal must be shared by our partners, not just by us."
Earlier, US President Trump targeted Zelenskyy over the ongoing war in Ukraine and said that the United States has spent USD 200 billion more than Europe, while Europe's financial contributions are "guaranteed" and the US gets no return.
Trump accused Zelenskyy of persuading the United States to invest billions of dollars in a war he believed could not be won, questioning the allocation of resources and Europe's lack of equal financial contribution. Trump also called Zelenskyy a dictator without elections.
Sharing a post on the social media platform Truth Social, Trump wrote, "Think of it, a modestly successful comedian, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, talked the United States of America into spending $350 billion dollars, to go into a war that couldn't be won, that never had to start, but a war that he, without the US and "TRUMP," will never be able to settle."
The post added, "The United States has spent $200 billion dollars more than Europe, and Europe's money is guaranteed, while the United States will get nothing back. Why didn't sleepy Joe Biden demand equalization, in that this war is far more important to Europe than it is to us -- We have a big, beautiful ocean as separation. On top of this, Zelenskyy admits that half of the money we sent him is "MISSING." He refuses to have elections, is very low in Ukrainian polls, and the only thing he was good at was playing Biden "like a fiddle." A Dictator without Elections, Zelenskyy better move fast or he is not going to have a country left."
A day earlier, following the talks between the United States and Russia on ending the war in Ukraine, Trump expressed his belief that Russia wants to put an end to the conflict, citing the toll the war has taken on soldiers, including Ukrainians, Russians, as well as North Koreans.
He called the war "senseless" and emphasised that it should never have occurred, asserting that it would not have happened under his leadership. On being asked about the talks between US officials and Russian representatives over ending the war, Trump said that he is "much more confident" and "the talks were very good."