The White House on Wednesday pushed back on comments by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy suggesting President Donald Trump has not been "fair" in his approach to the war in Ukraine.
Trump has in recent days said that the responsibility for making concessions to end the nearly four-year war lies with Zelenskyy.
According to Ukrainska Pravda, the Ukrainian leader said that it is "not fair" that Trump continues to publicly call on Ukraine, rather than Russia, to make concessions for the sake of peace.
"I think the president would respond to that by saying he does not think it's fair that thousands of Ukrainians and Russians are losing their lives in this deadly war," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said during a briefing that aired live on Newsmax and the free Newsmax2 streaming platform.
Ukraine and Russia held a second day of U.S.-mediated trilateral talks in Geneva, with territorial arrangements, energy security, and control of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant at the center of negotiations.
Although some reports suggested the political track stalled during the first day — partly because of Moscow's appointment of hard-line diplomat Vladimir Medinsky as its chief negotiator — U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff said "meaningful progress" had been made, the Kyiv Independent reported Wednesday.
Leavitt said Trump has devoted significant time and energy to halting the war, which began on Feb. 24, 2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine.
"That is why the president and his team have committed a tremendous amount of time and energy in bringing this war that is far from the United States of America, but nevertheless this is a president of peace," Leavitt said.
"He has committed a tremendous amount of time and energy to bringing this war to an end."
Leavitt described the trilateral talks between the U.S., Russia, and Ukraine that took place Tuesday as "meaningful progress."
"Yesterday, there was another round of trilateral talks between the U.S., Russia, and Ukraine," she said.
"Meaningful progress was made in both parties. Both sides agreed to update [their] respective leaders and work toward a peace deal together."
Leavitt added that additional negotiations are expected.
"There will be another round of talks in the future," she said.
Zelenskyy said he would like the next round of negotiations to be held this month and that he would like European allies to be present, RBC-Ukraine reported Wednesday.
"We are counting on the next meeting, and it would be right to hold it already in February," he said.
"It is important that Europeans were present — France, Britain, Germany, Italy, and Switzerland as the host country. Here in Ukraine, we have always promoted the position that Europe must be a participant in the process."
Leavitt framed Trump's position as centered not only on the toll of the war on Ukrainians and Russians, but also on the cost to Americans.
"I think the president views this entire situation as very unfair, not just for Russians and Ukrainians who have lost their lives, but for the American people and the American taxpayer who are footing the bill for this war effort before President Trump put a stop to it," Leavitt said.
Congress has approved tens of billions of dollars in military, economic, and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine since the start of the war.
Leavitt emphasized that although the administration is pursuing diplomacy, U.S. support for Ukraine's defense continues through NATO channels.
"I would remind everyone around the world that the United States is still selling weapons to NATO that are then being sent to Ukraine in the defense of their freedom and their borders," she said.
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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