Trump said that Washington had spent heavily on Ukraine without receiving anything in return. (AP photo) US President Donald Trump placed the burden on Ukraine to end the nearly four-year war with Russia, arguing that Moscow's military strength and territorial gains leave Kyiv at a disadvantage."
Ukraine has to want to settle this war," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, signalling that he expects Kyiv to move towards a negotiated settlement even as the fighting continues. Trump pointed to Russia's ability to sustain its military campaign and capture territory, portraying Moscow as having the upper hand in the conflict."
Russia is a big machine - they just keep grinding forward, and that's what they've done. They've taken a very large piece of land," he said.
His remarks came as his envoy Steve Witkoff held talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Oslo, Norway, on Tuesday as Washington continued its efforts to broker an end to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Trump also questioned the value of American assistance to Kyiv, complaining that Washington had spent heavily on supporting Ukraine without receiving anything in return."
We've given a lot to Ukraine. We've gotten absolutely nothing back except grief, death, tremendous monetary loss," he said.
The US president also pointed to the deep hostility between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelenskyy, suggesting that their personal animosity had become an obstacle to negotiations. Trump further claimed that European countries were growing weary of the conflict, although European governments have been working to offset any reduction in American military support for Kyiv.
Trump eases sanctions pressure on RussiaTrump's push for a settlement comes as his administration has taken steps to ease economic pressure on Moscow, raising questions about whether the shift could strengthen Russia's position even as Washington seeks to end the war. On Friday night, Trump signed an executive order exempting Russia from sanctions under a new measure passed by Congress last month.
The decision provides additional economic relief to Moscow at a time when the US is also seeking Russian cooperation to bring down fuel prices. The legislation, named after the late South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, was designed to squeeze the financial resources sustaining Russia's war against Ukraine.
It also gave Trump additional authority to impose tariffs on countries that continue to trade with Moscow. The White House has broad powers to grant sanctions exemptions under the law.
