President Donald Trump reportedly told a group of governors that Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his associates "don't have any cards to play" in negotiations to end the war with Russia.
Trump mentioned Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukraine during a Friday morning meeting with visiting governors.
"Trump to governors at the White House: 'I've had very good talks with Putin, and I've had not such good talks with Ukraine. They don't have any cards, but they play it tough'" AFP's Danny Kemp posted on X.
Earlier Friday, Trump reportedly said Zelenskyy "makes it very hard to make deals" as the U.S. president tries to end Ukraine's war against Russia.
"Trump continues to criticize Zelensky in Brian Kilmeade radio interview: "I don't think he's very important to be at meetings, to be honest with you. He's been there for three years. He makes it very hard to make deals," Politico's Patrick Svitek wrote on X.
Trump has criticized Zelenskyy in recent days, even claiming the Ukrainian president was "a dictator" who is unpopular in his native country.
Trump took office Jan. 20 with one of his top goals being finding a way to end the Russia-Ukraine war.
Top diplomats from Russia and the U.S. met Tuesday in Saudi Arabia to discuss improving ties and negotiating an end to the war in Ukraine.
Zelenskyy and his people, though, have been concerned about being left out of negotiations.
Zelenskyy also has rejected U.S. demands for $500 billion in mineral wealth to repay Washington for wartime aid, saying the U.S. had supplied nowhere near that sum so far and offered no specific security guarantees in the agreement.
Mike Waltz, Trump's national security adviser, on Friday predicted that Zelenskyy will sign the deal soon.
"Look, here's the bottom line: President Zelenskyy is going to sign that deal, and you will see that in the very short term, and that is good for Ukraine," Waltz said.
The U.S. has been Ukraine's most important financial, military and political backer since Russia invaded in February 2022.
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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