President Donald Trump again blamed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for delaying a potential peace deal with Russia and suggested it may be time for Ukraine to hold elections, arguing that Kyiv must "play ball" as Moscow sits in the stronger negotiating position.
In a wide-ranging interview with Politico conducted at the White House on Monday, Trump said there is "no question" Russia is currently in the stronger spot because it is "a much bigger country."
He repeated his long-standing argument that the war "should've never happened" and insisted it would not have started if he had remained in office.
Trump pointed directly at Zelenskyy's handling of the latest proposal, telling the outlet that, as of the day before the interview, Ukraine's leader "hasn't read it yet."
Trump said Zelenskyy's advisers "loved the proposal" and "really liked it," but claimed the Ukrainian president had not personally reviewed the most recent draft — something Trump said should change immediately given the continued battlefield losses.
Pressed on whether Ukraine should hold a vote, Trump said, "Yeah. I think so," adding it has "been a long time" and arguing that using wartime conditions to avoid elections can undermine democratic legitimacy.
"They talk about a democracy," he said, "but it gets to a point where it's not a democracy anymore."
Ukraine, however, remains under martial law, and Ukrainian officials have argued elections cannot be held while martial law is in effect — a position Ukraine's parliament reiterated in 2024 as the war continued.
Trump also suggested he could walk away if Kyiv refuses to engage seriously.
While disputing a comment by Donald Trump Jr. that he could walk away from the war, Trump added that it was "not exactly wrong," and warned that when a country is "losing," it must be prepared to accept hard realities.
Newsmax Wires contributed to this report.
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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