U.S. President Donald Trump speaks with members of the media on the South Lawn before boarding Marine One at the White House, in Washington, D.C., U.S., February 28, 2025. REUTERS/Nathan Howard TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
President Donald Trump returned to the cameras Friday evening to complain further about the Oval Office meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, telling reporters the gathering "didn't work out exactly great from his standpoint."
Zelensky was in Washington to sign a deal giving the U.S. access to rare earth minerals necessary for various technologies. But Trump lashed out at Zelensky as the two debated facts. Trump ultimately devolved into a rant against Sen. Adam Schiff (R-CA) and the investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election.
Before boarding his helicopter to leave the White House, Trump told reporters he thought Zelensky "overplayed his hand."
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"We're looking for peace," Trump claimed.
Zelensky said in 2022 that he won't agree to a peace deal that allows Russia to take any of Ukraine's land. Earlier this month, however, "Zelensky said he was ready to swap land in negotiations with Russia, which freed at least one American prisoner in what U.S. President Donald Trump described Tuesday as a goodwill gesture on ending the war," AFP reported.
Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to keep the land he's invaded, explained Peter Dickinson for The Atlantic Council.France24 reported this week that Russia called giving up the land they have annexed, "non-negotiable."
Trump told reporters that Zelensky wanted to continue the war, but he and Putin did not.
"We're not looking for somebody that's going to sign up a strong power and then not make peace because they feel emboldened," Trump continued. "And that's what I saw happening. I'm looking for peace. We're not looking to go into a 10-year war and play games. We want peace. And it was just my impression that if we do that, if we sign up, he's looking for something that I'm not looking for. He's looking to go on and fight, fight, fight. We're looking to end the death.
"Uh, 2,000 people died this week. Soldiers? More than that. But 2,000, approximately, people died this week. Young Ukrainians and Russians. And somebody would say, why do you care about Ukraine and Russian soldiers? I care about them. I care about everybody. And, uh, we're not doing that. Now, if we don't do anything, he's going to have to make peace. But he's dealing with a very weak set of cards. If we sign, he's dealing with a very strong set of cards, and then he doesn't want to make peace. So, that's where we are. It's very simple. I'm not looking to get into anything protracted. I want immediate peace. President Putin is going to want to make and he wants to make — he wants to end it."
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