Trump hints at changes to Ukraine's borders and promises a swift end to the war

Causes of the conflict's prolongation and personal relations between leaders

US President Donald Trump expressed the conviction that a peace deal ending the war in Ukraine could be signed in the near future. During a conversation with a journalist who noted that despite the promises of the new US president, the conflict continues, Trump pointed to the key obstacle.

«Ненависть між Зеленським і Путіним ... Якби я був президентом, ця війна ніколи б не почалася. Жодних шансів. Але вона почалася, тому я успадкував цю війну. Я вважаю, що ми дуже близькі до укладання угоди» (The hatred between Zelensky and Putin ... If I were president, this war would never have started. No chance. But it started, so I inherited this war. I believe we are very close to making a deal), the White House chief replied.

When asked whom he trusts more – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky or Russian dictator Vladimir Putin – Trump refrained from a direct answer. He only emphasised that he maintains good relations with both sides and plans a meeting, which likely concerns negotiations between Ukraine, the US and Russia in Abu Dhabi, scheduled for 10–11 November.

Trump also claimed that the only reason the war will end is his personal role. In response to the allegation that Zelensky's hatred for Putin is understandable because Russia invaded Ukraine, the US president replied:

«Ну, це зрозуміло, але все це було дуже-дуже... Коли у них відбулася перша зустріч, Росія зіткнулася з проявом великої неповаги. Тому я нічого не говоритиму... За всі чотири роки мого президентства (мова про перший термін з 2016 по 2020 роки) ця війна так і не почалася. І вона ніколи б не почалася, хоча Путін дуже сильно цього хотів» (Well, that is understandable, but all of this was very, very... When they had their first meeting, Russia encountered a display of great disrespect. So I will say nothing... During all four years of my presidency (referring to the first term from 2016 to 2020) this war never started. And it would never have started, although Putin really wanted it to), he stated.

Position on sanctions and weapons supplies

The journalist asked Trump whether he did not think Putin was deceiving him, and whether Putin himself was the obstacle to peace. Remarks were also made regarding the cessation of aid to Ukraine and the diesel deal with Russia. To this, Trump immediately outlined his position, calling himself the toughest in his actions towards Russia.

«Ніхто не був жорсткішим по відношенню до Росії, ніж я... Подивіться, що я зробив з ними в торгівлі, які санкції я ввів і все інше... Я не знімав санкції з дизельного пального. Я дозволив Росії постачати не нам, а всьому світу тисячі й тисячі барелів нафти та дизельного пального, яких світ потребував... Подивіться, що я зробив. Є стара фраза "Обама дав їм (Україні - ред.) простирадла", а я дав їм протитанкові засоби, і тисячі одиниць такої зброї» (No one has been tougher towards Russia than I have... Look at what I did with them in trade, what sanctions I imposed and everything else... I did not lift sanctions on diesel fuel. I allowed Russia to supply not us, but the whole world, thousands and thousands of barrels of oil and diesel fuel that the world needed... Look at what I did. There is an old phrase "Obama gave them (Ukraine - ed.) blankets", but I gave them anti-tank weapons, and thousands of units of such weapons), the US president emphasised.

In response to the statement that Ukraine is currently receiving weapons from Europe, Trump denied this, explaining the funding mechanism. According to him, the US supplies weapons, but Europe makes the payment.

«Я передаю зброю Європі, продаю її за повною ціною, і вони нам платять. Більше того, мені було дуже шкода, що (Байден виділив Україні — ред.) 350 млрд доларів, тому що я вважав це неймовірно дурним рішенням. У Європи є гроші. Європа могла б заплатити, але ніхто про це не попросив. Тому ми просто передавали зброю за зброєю, знову і знову, і самі забезпечували постачання. І, до речі, в України вистачило мужності використати цю зброю, тому що для цього теж потрібна сміливість. І українці показали себе дуже грізною силою. Але вони мали найкращу зброю на Землі, а ми нічого не отримали натомість» (I transfer weapons to Europe, sell them at full price, and they pay us. Moreover, I was very sorry that (Biden allocated to Ukraine — ed.) $350 billion, because I considered it an incredibly stupid decision. Europe has money. Europe could have paid, but no one asked them to. So we just handed over weapon after weapon, again and again, and we ourselves ensured the supply. And, by the way, Ukraine had the courage to use that weapon, because that also takes bravery. And the Ukrainians showed themselves to be a very formidable force. But they had the best weapons on Earth, and we got nothing in return), Trump said.

Territorial changes and the Starlink incident

Returning to the topic of a peaceful settlement, Trump again emphasised the proximity of a deal. Asked whether he expected everything to end with the preservation of a free and independent Ukraine, the US president gave an answer containing a hint at border changes.

«Думаю, у нас буде угода, і я думаю, що це станеться. Зрештою Україна матиме трохи інші обриси. Послухайте, цієї війни взагалі не повинно було бути. Якби я був президентом, вона ніколи б не почалася» (I think we will have a deal, and I think it will happen. In the end, Ukraine will have slightly different outlines. Listen, this war should not have existed at all. If I were president, it would never have started), the American leader said.

A separate topic of the interview was the incident involving the restriction of speed for Starlink and Starshield satellite systems for Ukraine. Asked who controls this system in the combat zone – Trump or billionaire Elon Musk – the US president stated that he did not know the details and claimed it was definitely not him. He also expressed doubts whether it was Musk's activity.

«Не було доведено, що швидкість справді знижували. У цій війні багато брехні. Але я знаю одне: коли я про це почув, швидкість знову підвищили» (It has not been proven that the speed was actually reduced. There is a lot of lies in this war. But I know one thing: when I heard about it, the speed was increased again), the White House chief summarised.