Trump claims Russia is advancing relentlessly and Ukraine must want to make a deal

US President Donald Trump expressed the conviction that Ukraine and its leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy must want to conclude an agreement with Russia. According to the American leader, if a deal is not signed, the situation will become truly worse.

Argumentation regarding financial losses

During a briefing in the Oval Office on 20 October, Trump emphasised the massive financial expenditures of the United States and Europe on supporting Ukraine. He claims that Europe is tired of these investments, while the US has received nothing but misery, deaths, and financial losses.

“Україна має захотіти укласти угоду, бо Сполучені Штати витратили колосальні гроші, Європа витратила колосальні гроші, і Європа зараз від цього втомилася. Якщо вони не укладуть угоду, зрештою, на мою думку, стане справді гірше. Ми дали Україні багато. Ми не отримали взамін абсолютно нічого, окрім горя, смертей, колосальних фінансових втрат. Ми дали Україні величезні суми. Ми не отримали нічого, крім дорогого дизеля” (Ukraine must want to make a deal, because the United States has spent colossal amounts of money, Europe has spent colossal amounts of money, and Europe is now tired of it. If they do not make a deal, eventually, in my opinion, it will get truly worse. We gave Ukraine a lot. We did not get absolutely anything in return, except misery, deaths, and colossal financial losses. We gave Ukraine huge sums. We got nothing except expensive diesel), he noted.

Separately, the US President reiterated: “Зеленський має захотіти врегулювати цю війну. Ми хочемо, щоб Зеленський уклав угоду, і якщо ні, я думаю, це буде дуже погано” (Zelenskyy must want to settle this war. We want Zelenskyy to make a deal, and if not, I think it will be very bad).

Assessment of the military situation and Russian potential

Commenting on the actions of the Russian armed forces, Trump described Russia as a powerful machine that continues to advance. In his view, the adversary has unlimited human resources, which allows it to capture new territories.

“Росія — це велика машина. Вони просто продовжують рухатися вперед, і ось саме це вони роблять. Вони захопили дуже великий шмат землі. Росіяни продовжують наступати. У них необмежена кількість людей” (Russia is a big machine. They are just continuing to move forward, and that is exactly what they are doing. They have captured a very large piece of land. The Russians continue to advance. They have an unlimited number of people), the US leader says.

At the same time, Trump noted that both sides have suffered losses, but emphasised the asymmetry: “Росія — величезна країна, а Україна — ні” (Russia is a huge country, and Ukraine is not).

Version regarding events of 2022

The American President also shared his own assessment of the start of the full-scale invasion. He claims that Russian troops, which had a thousand tanks, could have reached Kyiv in four hours, moving along a concrete highway, and the war would have ended in a day.

“Вони б опинилися в Україні за чотири години, рухаючись із максимальною швидкістю танків, яка, якщо бути точним, становить 48 миль на годину. Ніщо не могло їх зупинити. Війна закінчилася б за один день. І цей дуже дурний генерал — я навіть не маю уявлення, хто він такий. Сумніваюся, що він досі з нами. Сумніваюся, що він взагалі ще живий. Він вирішив повернути праворуч на сільські угіддя, а потім ліворуч і рухатися до Києва, замість того щоб залишатися на шосе — бетонному шосе, цілком придатному для руху — де вони просувалися дуже добре. Це зайняло б три з половиною - чотири години, і вся війна б закінчилася. У підсумку він застряг у багнюці” (They would have been in Ukraine in four hours, moving at the maximum speed of tanks, which, to be precise, is 48 miles per hour. Nothing could have stopped them. The war would have ended in one day. And this very stupid general — I do not even have an idea who he is. I doubt he is still with us. I doubt he is even alive. He decided to turn right into rural fields, and then left and move towards Kyiv, instead of staying on the highway — a concrete highway, fully suitable for movement — where they were advancing very well. It would have taken three and a half to four hours, and the whole war would have ended. In the end, he got stuck in the mud), Trump claims.

It is worth noting that Russian troops failed to capture Kyiv in 2022 and withdrew from the capital in the spring of that same year.

Comment on civilian casualties

In conclusion, Trump commented on Russian shelling of civilians in Ukraine, stating: “Деякі люди в місті, яке зазнало удару, чи ще щось, але здебільшого гинуть військові” (Some people in a city that was hit, or something else, but mostly soldiers are dying).