Trump doubles down on criticizing Zelensky over comment that end of war is far away

President Trump on Monday doubled down on his criticism of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, just days after their Oval Office meeting went off the rails, bashing his latest comments that an end to the Ukraine-Russia war is far away.

“This is the worst statement that could have been made by Zelenskyy, and America will not put up with it for much longer!” the president said on Truth Social.

“It is what I was saying, this guy doesn’t want there to be Peace as long as he has America’s backing and, Europe, in the meeting they had with Zelenskyy, stated flatly that they cannot do the job without the U.S. – Probably not a great statement to have been made in terms of a show of strength against Russia. What are they thinking?” Trump said.

Zelensky later on Monday said “we need real peace” and insisted on security guarantees, saying he is still working with American and European partners.

“It is very important that we try to make our diplomacy really substantive to end this war the soonest possible,” he said on X.

Zelensky said late Sunday that he thinks the relationship between the United States and Ukraine will continue, despite the explosive spat at the White House, but added that a deal to end the war “is still very, very far away,” The Associated Press reported.

Trump, after the Friday Oval Office meeting, also accused the Ukrainian president of not being “ready for peace,” calling him “disrespectful” and only having a chance of “coming out OK because of us.” Zelensky has since said he wouldn’t apologize for the tense meeting and Trump told reporters that Zelensky “overplayed his hand.”

In his post on Monday, Trump shared the article from the AP, which is the outlet that the White House has banned from pooling the president over the wire service’s refusal to call the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America.”

Updated at 1:17 p.m. EST

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