US President Donald Trump said French President Emmanuel Macron and the United Kingdom Prime Minister Sir Kiir Starmer “did nothing” to end the war in Ukraine before visiting the White House next week.
Trump also said that the President of Ukraine Volodimir Zelenski has no “no cards” in peace talks, adding: “I don't think he is very important to be in meetings.”
After the full -scale invasion of Russia in Ukraine in 2022, the United Kingdom, France and other allies delivered Kiev with weapons and other help.
On Monday, European leaders held a crisis meeting in Paris in Ukraine – the day before negotiations in the United States -Russia in Saudi Arabia and against the background of fears that Ukraine and Europe can be excluded from peace talks.
Despite his criticism of Macron and Sir Keyer, Trump in his interview with Fox News also praised European leaders. He said he considered Macron a “friend” and called the British Prime Minister a “very nice man”.
Macron is expected to visit Washington on Monday while Sir Keyer will be there on Thursday.
Earlier this week the British Prime Minister said it was “Ready and willing” to put the troops of the United Kingdom on the ground In Ukraine, to help guarantee his security as part of a peaceful deal.
The BBC contacted the premiere office for comment.
While European leaders have excluded negotiations with Russia, they meet regularly to discuss war in Ukraine.
Since the invasion of Russia in Ukraine, the United States, the United Kingdom and the EU, along with countries, including Australia, Canada and Japan, have imposed more than 20,000 sanctions on Russia.
Many European countries have also signed support agreements and assistance to Ukraine.
In January, Sir Keyer signed a “remarkable” pact, saying in Zelenski: “We are with you not only today, for this year or next – but for 100 years – long after this terrible war ends and Ukraine is free and thriving once again once again S “
Ukraine in Ukraine Keith Kellog said he had “extensive and positive” discussions with Zelenski during their meeting in Kiev on Thursday.
Kelloge praised Zelenski as a “brave leader” – just days after Trump pointed to him as a “dictator”.
In recent days, Zelenski has been making telephone calls with various world leaders, who have expressed their commitment to ensure that Ukraine is involved in peace negotiations.
Trump in an interview with FOX on Friday said Russia and Ukraine would not want to start peace talks without their own personal participation.
He also continued to criticize Zelenski, saying, “I have been looking at this man for years when his cities have been demolished as his people kill themselves as his soldiers are downplayed.
“I watched him negotiate without cards. He has no cards, and you get sick of it. You just get sick of it and I had it.”
And after criticizing Zelenski in the last week – using conversational points that analysts say, it sounds more recently from Moscow than in Washington – Trump suggested that “of course” he will take a phone call from the President of Ukraine.
He insisted several times that Zelenski was guilty of failing to prevent the war, saying that Russia could be “talked” about invasion of Ukraine.
Asked about the absence of Ukraine at Saudi Arabia peace talks this week, Trump said Russia “found it impossible to make a deal with Zelenski.”
He said he believed that Russia genuinely wanted a deal to end the war, but that President Vladimir Putin “should not make a deal.”
Later, US Vice President JD Vance responded to critics who said Trump's position on Russia was a “fondness”.
“We are negotiating to end the conflict.
In the meantime, it seems that Kiev and Washington have approached the signing of a deal that will give the US rights to Ukraine's deposits to rare minerals on Earth.
Trump shapes this as a way of Ukraine to pay the United States for its previous military support. On Friday, he told reporters that the United States and Ukraine were “quite close” until the deal was signed, adding that the US would “return their money”.
In a late Friday video address, Zelenski said that Ukrainian and US teams are working on a project of an agreement that “can add value to our relations.” But he stressed that “the most important thing is to get the details correctly.”
The Ukrainian president rejected the original proposal in the United States a few days ago, saying it “cannot sell our country.”
White House security adviser Mike Walz said on Friday that Zelenski “would sign this deal.”