US President Donald Trump has said it is time for Ukraine to hold presidential elections, adding that Ukrainians should be able to choose their leader despite the ongoing war with Russia.
“I think it’s an important time to hold an election. They’re using war not to hold an election, but I would think the Ukrainian people would … should have that choice. And maybe Zelenskyy would win,” he told Politico in an interview published Tuesday.
He also said that one of the reasons it’s been hard to settle the conflict is the “tremendous level of hatred” between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelenskyy.
“They really hate each other. And part of the problem is they hate each other really a lot. And it’s very hard for them to try and make a deal… The level of hatred between Putin and Zelenskyy is tremendous.”
Asked if he thinks Ukraine has lost the war, Trump said Ukraine has lost vast territory to Russia since the war erupted in 2022.
“They’ve lost territory long before I got here. They lost a whole strip of seafront, big seafront. I mean, you look at the maps… they lost a lot of land, and it’s very good land, too, that they lost,” he said.
Ukraine is enduring one of its toughest periods of the war. Russian troops are grinding forward in the east, and Ukrainian cities and towns are suffering hours of power cuts due to intensified Russian strikes on the energy grid and other crucial infrastructure.
Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner brought a revised plan to Moscow last week, then held several more days of talks with Ukrainian officials in Miami, which ended on Saturday with no breakthrough.
Zelenskyy called the discussions constructive but not easy.
Trump added that Russia has always had “the upper hand” during the current war.
“Russia has the upper hand. And they always did. They’re much bigger. They’re much stronger in that sense… I give the people of Ukraine and the military of Ukraine tremendous credit for the… bravery and for the fighting… But you know, at some point, size will win, generally.”
