US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he wants Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to “make a deal” with Russia, complaining that Washington has received “nothing back” for its support of Kyiv.
Addressing reporters at the White House, Trump said: “We want Zelenskyy to make a deal. He can make a deal.”
“He could have made a deal two years ago when we met in the Oval Office,” he added, referring to their heated exchange in early 2025. “He is going to have to want to make a deal, because I do not think his people are going to stand for it any longer.”
Relations between Zelenskyy and Trump have been volatile since the U.S. president began his second term in January last year, worsening further after Trump reached a diesel agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin and criticized Ukrainian strikes on Russia’s energy sector for their effect on global fuel prices.
On Tuesday, while preparing for consequential midterm elections that will determine the makeup of Congress for his final two years in office, Trump appeared to assign blame for the continuing war to Zelenskyy, repeatedly saying he had the opportunity to make a deal and that the United States had received nothing in return for its assistance “except grief, death,” and “tremendous monetary loss.”
“We have given tremendous amounts to Ukraine; we have got nothing back. Other than high diesel,” Trump said. “American taxpayers are tired of it.”
“It is time to make a deal,” he said.
Zelenskyy’s Oslo Talks
Trump’s comments came shortly after Zelenskyy met with a U.S. delegation headed by special envoy Steve Witkoff, who is scheduled to travel to Russia on Wednesday for a meeting with Putin.
Following the Oslo talks, which also involved Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, Zelenskyy appeared relatively positive, telling journalists he had recently held a constructive call with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and calling for a trilateral meeting with Trump and Putin.
Zelenskyy also addressed reported restrictions on U.S. intelligence sharing during a news conference with the Nordic leaders, saying he was “thankful” that intelligence cooperation is working again.
“I am referring to early warning, which is very important for our people, for children, adults, and civilians, because we can hear when ballistic missiles are coming,” he said.
In a social media post later that evening, Zelenskyy added: “It was constructive because all of us want peace—Ukraine, Europe, and the United States. We will see what happens tomorrow.”